Ensuring a Cleaner Narragansett Bay

Partner

Town of Warren

Challenge:

Warren’s municipal wastewater treatment facility was found to be discharging high levels of nitrogen into Warren Harbor and Narragansett Bay. Warren officials reached out to the Infrastructure Bank to provide financing solutions to help upgrade their wastewater treatment process to reduce nitrogen discharge levels and better protect the health of the bay.

Solution:

$20 million loan from the Infrastructure Bank’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

Results:

Warren’s upgraded wastewater treatment facility now releases close to zero nitrogen into the harbor, is more energy efficient, and is more resilient to the impacts of storms, flooding, and the effects of climate change. Specific resiliency upgrades included relocating electrical equipment and motor drives above projected flood elevation, and replacing pumps and mixers with submersible motors where raising pumps above flood level was not feasible. Warren has realized over $3 million in debt service savings thanks to the Infrastructure Bank’s below market rate interest rates.