Thanks to the work of our Congressional delegation, #MiddletownRI was awarded federal funding for plans to reconfigure the sewer system. If it moves forward, the project would ease the burden on the Wave Avenue Pump Station, add efficiencies and more.
MAJOR FEDERAL FUNDING AWARDED TO ASSIST WITH SEWER RECONFIGURATION PLANS
MIDDLETOWN, RI (FEBRUARY 2, 2026) – Middletown’s sewer infrastructure is more important than most realize.
While it safely moves thousands of gallons of effluent daily to the City of Newport’s wastewater plant on Connell Highway, the underground pipeline touches almost every aspect of life in the community too.
The environment, the economy, quality of life, business, recreation, education, there’s almost no part of Middletown that isn’t reliant on the smooth and efficient operation of the 60-plus mile network.
That’s why local leaders are so thankful to US Representative Gabe Amo and US Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse in Washington, DC for securing close to $1.1 million in federal Community Project Funding recently.
Town officials said the money will be used to study plans to reduce strain on the existing system and shifting much of the sewage away from the lower Aquidneck Avenue-Atlantic Beach area and down Coddington Highway instead.
“When we heard the news, we were absolutely elated,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “This is a huge win for our community and all of Aquidneck Island. We’ve been contemplating this project for years and this funding will help kickstart the effort. We can’t thank Representative Amo and Senators Reed and Whitehouse and the rest of our team for their support.”
Two decades ago, it was common to hear concerns about the town’s sewer system, which functions separately from the stormwater network.
Overflows from the Wave Avenue Pump Station by the Newport city line were common anytime there was a decent amount of rainfall.
The pump station handles about 90 percent of the total sewage in Middletown before it’s pushed up Memorial Boulevard and eventually to Newport’s Connell Highway plant for treatment.
Problems were so bad that the state Department of Environmental Management stepped in and ordered fixes and upgrades to the system under the threat of significant fines and other enforcement actions.
In response, the town launched a sweeping plan to address the problems. This included everything from house-to-house inspections for illegal tie ins to upgrades to manhole and pipe repairs to limit inflow of groundwater into the system. A number of sewer pump stations were also updated to improve redundancies and capacity should problems result.
In the midst of this town-wide campaign, Middletown bought a former garage at 326 Coddington Highway. The half-acre site is at the entrance to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus barn and already home to a smallish pump station at the base of Coddington hill.
Largely unsaid at the time were plans to eventually convert that existing pump station into a new, higher capacity operation completely on the garage site.
The goal, local leaders said, was to reduce the stress on the Wave Avenue Pump Station miles away across town and dramatically reduce the time much of the sewage remained in the system.
“If you look at the system, it’s gravity fed and everything ends up at the lowest point — Wave Avenue,” Brown said. “With this work, we’d be able to divert much of the sewage from the west side of town down Coddington Highway and away from the beach area. It just makes sense on so many levels.”
According to paperwork from the town, the projected price tag for the entire effort was about $8.5 million. This includes about $650,000 for design, permitting and inspections, costs that will be more than covered by the Community Project Funding money.
Middletown was one of 11 communities across the state to receive part of close to $8 million in money announced earlier this month by Amo’s office. The award to Middletown tied for the most in the state with a similar award to Newport to reduce lead in drinking water in the city’s North End.
To view the press release from Amo’s office, visit https://www.middletownri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22421/Amo-Secures-Nearly-8-Million-to-Support-Rhode-Island-Public-Safety-Infrastructure-and-Ocean-Innovation-_-Congressman-Gabe-Amo online.
Local leaders said the town was continuing to investigate and pursue other opportunities for funding for the Coddington Highway Pump Station project. They added that money has been earmarked in the town’s Sewer Fund for the effort for some time.
The anticipated cost of the improved pump station was in the neighborhood of $5.5 million, with a beefed up gravity fed sewer line under Coddington Highway projected at $950,000.
While local leaders acknowledged that’s a lot of money, the benefits were too significant to pass up.
“By having the sewage run more directly down Coddington Highway and to the City of Newport wastewater plant, there are immense efficiencies,” Brown said. “There’s less strain on our underground pipe and pump network, it dramatically reduces the chances of sewer overflows at Atlantic Beach in Middletown and First Beach in Newport. But it’s more than that.
“The sewer reconfiguration work will benefit our businesses in number of ways. First, the work decreases the likelihood of a catastrophic failure in the system, something that can be extremely detrimental. Often overlooked is the benefits to our businesses and community from a reputational standpoint. Every sewer overflow and beach closure hurts the perception of Middletown as a world-class tourist destination, so anything we can do to limit them helps everyone.”
Before the project progresses further, the planning and engineering work must take place. From there, the Town Council will weigh in before the next steps are determined.
In addition to the pump station housed in a smallish white building, the Coddington Highway property is being used for a storage and staging area for the town’s Department of Public Works. A house that was included in the original sale was torn down years ago, but a two-bay garage in a large blue structure remains.
“This is a project that’s been envisioned for more than two decades,” Brown said. “Again, thanks to Representative Amo and Senators Reed and Whitehouse. This funding is a major shot in the arm and will help us get this work where it needs to be, not just for Middletown, but our entire state.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-CHPS
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
Media Contact
Matt Sheley
Public Affairs Officer
401-842-6543
msheley@middletownri.gov