Category Archives: Alerts

Schedule for Raising the Water

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As Spring approaches, we would like to let you know about the schedule for raising the water.
As soon as all ice is completely gone (which should be very soon), we will raise water about 12” over the course of a week. Next, beginning March 25th, we will raise the water level about 12” per week until the lake is about 1’ from full. We anticipate this will be about April 21st. We will maintain this level until about May 1, to have the lake at “full” by May 15th.
Please note, that these are goals. Extreme rain (or lack thereof) will affect the height of the water. We will do our best to keep to the goals, but please be understanding if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate!
Wishing you all a safe and healthy Spring and Summer!

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Thomas Samson

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Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Thomas Samson, who passed away peacefully on Monday, February 17, 2025.

Tom and his late wife Evelyn lived in Glocester for over 60 years.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to Thomas’s Life Celebration to be held with Visiting Hours on Friday, February 21, 2024, from 9 AM to 11 AM in the J. J. Duffy Funeral Home, 757 Mendon Road, Rt. 122, Cumberland.

You can read his obituary here.

2025 CPWL Spring Gala

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Get your tickets today for the 2025 Spring Gala!

  • May 23rd, 2025 at Wrights Farm, 84 Inman Rd, Burrillville, RI
  • Tickets are $75 per person
  • Doors open 5:30 with Cash bar, raffle sign up until 6:30, and dinner at 6:45
  • Comedy Show after dinner with Mike Hanley as the headline, with Kristy Kielbasinski, and PJ Thibodeau.

Tickets and More Information

Notice of New Development

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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

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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.

Lake Drawdown Delay

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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

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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!

2024 Algae Bloom Update

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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

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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.