As the subject of this month's "Where Am I?" question, the local reservoir system is integral to providing customers fresh water across #MiddletownRI. Local resident Karen McGovern identified the spot immediately and gets a shout out from the town.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
“WHERE AM I?” ANSWER — MAY 2023
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MAY 10, 2023) – Unlike other parts of the state — and country — Aquidneck Island is blessed with a relatively ready drinking water supply.
In Middletown, this system is overseen by the City of Newport Water Division.
As part of its network that dates back to 1876, the Water Division manages nine reservoirs, two of which are in Middletown — Gardiner and Paradise ponds along Sachuest Point Road.
The pictures taken for this month’s “Where Am I?” were from the shore between North Easton Pond and South Easton Pond by the intersection of Valley Road and Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown,
a location identified immediately by local resident Karen McGovern.
According to a 2020 water division report, the entire Newport water system has a usable storage of close to more than 3.92 billion gallons of water.
Newport Water data also indicated its transmission and distribution system has about 200 miles of active, in-service water mains.
The system serves approximately 40,000 people a day. This includes the entire population of Newport, about 75 percent of the population of Middletown and a small portion of Portsmouth’s population.
Although it’s impossible to determine exactly how much is in the system at one time, there’s consensus that it’s critical residents, business people and visitors do everything possible to keep these waterways as clean as possible.
This includes preventing contaminated runoff into the reservoir feeders like Bailey Brook and the Maidford River.
Towards this end, Middletown has an active informational campaign designed to educate everyone about how they impact the local water supply and can make a positive difference.
Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/8583/WAI-Answer-May-23
