The Warwick Sewer Authority has finished repairing a collapsed sewer pipe that spilled about 300,000 gallons of sewage into Buckeye Brook last month.
Janine Burke-Wells, executive director of the Warwick Sewer Authority, confirmed corrosion as the cause the break in the old concrete pipe. Corrosion happens while bacteria break down sewage and release a smelly gas called hydrogen sulfide that deteriorates the concrete.
As a precaution last month, Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management closed all of Upper Narragansett Bay to shellfishing.
Now, only a two-mile stretch along Warwick’s coast between Conimicut Point and Highland Beach remains closed to shellfishing until further notice.
After Warwick Sewer Line Collapse, RIDEM Modifies Shellfishing Closure In Narragansett Bay
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has reduced the area in Upper Narragansett Bay that has been closed off to shellfishing to just a two-mile stretch along Warwick’s coast.
On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Warwick Sewer Authority discovered 300,000 gallons of sewage had spilled into Buckeye Brook. The DEM closed off all of Upper Narragansett Bay to shellfishing as a precaution. 
Water samples from the Bay were recently tested for bacteria, and the DEM determined it is safe to fish in most of the Upper Bay, with the exception of an area between Conimicut Point and Highland Beach.
That area will remain closed to shellfishing until further notice.
Conimicut Point Beach was also closed after the sewage overflow, but that beach is remaining closed for now.
The Rhode Island Department of Health recommends avoiding contact with waters in Buckeye Brook, Mill Creek and Mill Cove Beach.
Updates on closures can be found on DEM’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Corrosion Suspected Cause Of Sewer Line Collapse In Warwick
A collapsed sewer line in Warwick that spilled about 300,000 gallons of sewage into Buckeye Brook may have deteriorated overtime due to a certain smelly gas called hydrogen sulfide.
Inside sewer pipes underground, bacteria break down sewage. That process releases hydrogen sulfide gas, which is terrible for concrete pipes since it can corrode them, eventually causing them to collapse.
Janine Burke-Wells, executive director of the Warwick Sewer Authority, suspects that’s what happened this time around.
Many of the sewer pipes in Warwick were built in the 1960s and are made of concrete, which is the case across Rhode Island, Burke-Wells said. 
“Everybody’s got old pipes, over 50 years old, and everybody needs to rebuild,” she said.
Burke-Wells said more funding is needed to replace aging sewer pipes, but she said it’s hard to get public support for something that people don’t see every day.
The sewer authority will be evaluating the pipe to see if corrosion caused its collapse.
As of now, it’s estimated to cost $250,000 to fix the sewer line.
Because of the sewage spill, Rhode Island health and environmental officials have closed off Conimicut Point Beach and have closed Upper Narragansett Bay to shellfishing until further notice.
300K Gallons Of Sewage Spill Into Warwick Brook, Upper Narragansett Bay Closed To Shellfishing
About 300,000 gallons of sewage have spilled into Buckeye Brook in Warwick after a sewer line 22 feet underground collapsed.
The Warwick Sewer Authority discovered sewage was overflowing into the brook Sunday, Aug. 26 around 5:30 p.m.
“This is not a case of untreated sewage, it was all treated with chlorine, so it was disinfected,” Mike Healey, spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management , said.
Officials from the sewer authority treated the sewage with chlorine as it was overflowing. They’ve also set up a temporary bypass pump to divert sewage away from the broken section of the pipe. 
The City of Warwick has hired a contractor to fix the sewer line and estimates it could take up to two weeks to finish the job.
As a precaution, DEM has closed Upper Narragansett Bay to shellfishing until further notice, and the Rhode Island Department of Health has closed off Conimicut Point Beach.
For more information and updates, visit DEM’s Facebook or Twitter page or call 401-222-2900.
This post has been updated.
