Notice of New Development

The Executive team at CPWL wanted to share this notice we received regarding the proposed development of  ‘The Residences at Greenville Farms”,  which entails the construction of 75 duplex units.  A portion of this project would directly abut Waterman Lake on the East side of West Greenville Road. CPWL was notified due to the abutment of this development on property owned by CPWL. We thought it was important to share this notice with our membership in our continued commitment to keeping you informed about all happenings that impact our lake.

If any resident has concerns over this project, they should follow the instructions within the notice.

A PDF copy can be downloaded here.

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Nancy Batty

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Nancy Batty, who died Monday, December 16.

Along with her husband Burt and their family, she was a long-time resident of Waterman Lake.

Calling hours are Thursday from 4 to 7 pm at Perry McStay Funeral Home in East Providence; the funeral is at 10am on Friday morning, at Newman Congregational church in Rumford.

You can read her obituary here.

CPWL Christmas Potluck RSVP

Details:

Friday, December 6th
6:00 pm- 9:00 pm

Laurel Grange
351 Snake Hill Rd., Harmony RI

Download the PDF flyer and spread the holiday cheer!

Remember to bring a non-perishable item for our local food bank

Ugly Sweater or Festive Attire Encouraged

RSVP Before November 29th

CPWL Christmas Potluck 2024
First
Last
Address
Address
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal

Lake Drawdown Update

Thanks to a very quick response time by the RI Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Town of Smithfield, the obstruction has been cleared from the culvert under West Greenville Road.  We thank the RI DOT and the Town for acting on this so quickly.

Drawdown of the lake will begin Tuesday, November 5th.  Water will drop about 12” per week, until we are at a level of between 60” and 72” below the spillway.  We anticipate this level will be maintained until March 25, 2025, when we will begin to raise the water level.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email cpwl@cpwl.org

Lake Drawdown Delay

Historically, we have begun the lake drawdown on November 1st.  As part of a pre-release inspection, we discovered the culvert under West Greenville Road is 90% blocked with debris.  If we were to release water, it is likely it would overflow West Greenville Road within hours if not minutes.

While CPWL is not responsible for fixing this problem, we are impacted by it, and it will affect the drawdown timetable slightly.

Bob Eaton and Phil Viall met with a response team of Smithfield officials Thursday afternoon, including Emergency Management, Fire, Police, Public Works, Town Engineer, and Town Manager.  As West Greenville Road is a state road, they will coordinate with the RI Department of Transportation in the cleaning of this culvert.

There was concern on the part of officials that if any downstream culverts are blocked, road wash out might be a problem downstream when the West Greenville Road culvert is cleared, and a sudden rush of water is released.

This problem will hopefully be resolved next week, and we will begin releasing water as we have historically.  We will notify the membership before we begin the drawdown.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email cpwl@cpwl.org

Annual Fall Meeting – Wednesday, Oct. 30th

Our Annual Fall Meeting will be held on October 30, 2024. NOTE that we are meeting in a NEW LOCATION: The Lakes, 720 Putnam Pike. People may gather beginning at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments, and the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Carpooling is encouraged, as there is limited parking.

We will have our usual reports, as well as updates to several items. Come and see what goes on behind the scenes at CPWL

Hope to see you there!

Algae Bloom – Treatment Update

Water and Wetlands Inc. treated the lake on Monday morning, August 19th, with Copper Sulfate to eradicate the Cyanobacteria algae bloom.  The treatment took about three hours.

There is no waiting period after treatment. Residents can resume all aquatic activities immediately (i.e. feel free to swim, boat, fish, etc., as you wish).

The proactive approach the Executive Committee adopted late last year worked well.  From the first positive test from DEM until the lake was treated was 10 days.  The permitting process takes 45 days; hence, that is why we began the process much earlier this year.  While 10 days s is longer than we would have liked, the lake is safe again.  We are discussing ways to shorten the lag time even more if this should happen again next summer.

Water and Wetlands, Inc. gave us a short report on their activities.  The report has also been added to the “Reports” section on our Documents page.

2024 Algae Bloom Update

The executive board of CPWL has been working with the company Water and Wetland in our ongoing efforts to control algae blooms in the lake.

We have contracted with them to treat the lake, and it will be treated on Monday, August 19 for the control of algae.  There are no restrictions affiliated with the treatment.

Water & Wetland is licensed in Rhode Island and manages many nearby lakes.  Their email address is info@waterandwetland.com if anyone has any specific questions.   The product being used is copper sulfate, which is commonly used in drinking water reservoirs.

If you have additional questions, please email cpwl@cpwl.org, and we will do our best to answer them.

Algae Bloom Alert

On the afternoon of August 9th, CPWL officers were notified by the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in collaboration with the Department of Health (DoH) that an advisory has been issued, and DEM/DoH recommends no swimming, boating, or fishing on Waterman Lake due to an occurrence of Cyanobacteria.

DEM has told us that one sample was taken from the north side of Pine Ledge Road which tested positive.  No other samples were taken.  CPWL Officers and members of the Dam Committee have checked the entire lake, and have not seen any sign of Cyanobacteria, but there has been an advisory issued nonetheless.

After our experience last year with Cyanobacteria, we devised a plan to be proactive if it should happen again.  We already have a permit to spread copper sulfate, a safe chemical that kills cyanobacteria (copper sulfate is added to some city drinking water).  In early spring, we entered into an agreement with a contractor to provide and spread copper sulfate if needed.  We expect the treatment to happen next week.  The dam committee is currently working on how big an area to treat, as the cost is proportional to the size of the area.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (based on last year):

Q.  Is it illegal to swim, boat, or fish?
A.  It is not illegal, it is advisory from RI DEM and DoH.

Q.  Is it safe to swim, boat, or fish?
A.  It is not safe to swim in a cyanobacteria bloom.  Cyanobacteria produce toxins that are harmful to humans and pets.  Cyanobacteria appears as a blue-green algae.

Q.  If I don’t see any cyanobacteria, is it safe to interact with the water?
A.  That is your choice… but remember there is an advisory in effect.

Q.  When will the advisory be lifted?
A.  Last year the advisory was lifted after two negative tests one week apart.  We believe the rule is still the same, but we are not sure at the moment.

If you have additional questions, please email cpwl@cpwl.org, and we will do our best to answer them.