Gilman, 1

Sara Gilman
Fredrik DeBoer
WRI 303 – Project Two: Letter to the Editor
Due Date: March 7, 2011

Dear William F. Lucey III,

Hello, my name is Sara Gilman and I am a resident of Newport Rhode Island, born and

raised. I am writing in regards to the unhealthy, unsanitary and disgraceful state of Newport’s

public beach, Easton’s beach. As long as I can remember, my mother and father have encouraged

my sister and I to be avid beach goers, even going as far as enrolling us into an underwater

exploration camp at Easton’s beach. Our family used to own a small beach cubby at Easton's – or

as the locals call it First beach - during my young childhood. Even though the beach house was

very expensive for my parents to afford summer after summer, they kept the small estate around

because they wanted us to enjoy the beach and have a safe place to put possessions. Once I got

older, I realized how resistant I became with wanting to go there. The seaweed was gross, the

beach always smelled and was too busy for me - even as a kid - to have a nice time there. My

parents decided to give up their ownership of the beach house and become members of a

different beach for this reason: we did not enjoy spending time at Easton's beach anymore. As I

became older and an employee of a local restaurant downtown, I would frequently drive by

Easton's beach while going down Memorial Boulevard. Seeing the closed down area infested

with eighteen wheeler trucks pumping substance in or out of the sewers discourages me as a

resident of Newport.
 Gilman, 2

Easton’s beach has been an icon for Newport tourism for over one hundred years, and

rightfully deserves a sanitary and safe reputation. When researching material gathered in a

strictly confined paper file from over the years in the Newport Public Library, I stumbled upon a

section of a historical book labeled The Book of Newport, R.I. - edited by S. George Webb - that

mentioned the water safety of Newport. The document stated, “The water supply of the city is

analyzed both chemically and bacteriologically, at frequent intervals by the laboratory of the

State Board of Health, so that residents of the city may feel confident that every known method

is employed to guard their health” (Webb 20). Even though the book was published in 1930,

Newport city council’s promise to its residents and tourists was to provide citizens with a safe

atmosphere, throughout the town. As the years have passed, the beach – as well as our world –

has changed significantly; in turn morphing the city’s moral obligation to ensure a safe beach for

residents and tourists alike.

This excessive pollution and abuse of the water at Easton's Beach is not anything new to

Newport or its residents. Environmental activists and citizens alike are concerned and passionate

about clearing the beach for once and for all. It is understood the sewer system in Newport isn't

capable of functioning properly and, in turn, dumps into the ocean near Easton's Beach. In his

article in Newport RI Sewer Issue, Burt Hoffman speaks out upon the contamination problem of

the sewers in our city not being properly designed to process the amount of waste our area is

capable of producing. He explains Newport’s sewage system has a plant that can process up to

10-12 million gallons a day; the plant is also monitoring poisonous rain runoff, street and lawn

toxins as well as vehicle emissions. The problem is, “sewage flow through the main treatment

facility sometimes exceeds 20 million gallons a day…when it rains the gallons increase and the

treatment plant can't handle it. Excess untreated or partially treated sewage is dumped into the
 Gilman, 3

harbor and at Easton's Beach” (Hoffman). Quite blatantly, there is a massive discrepancy

between how much our sewers can process and the amount of waste that is actually being

produced. If a city largely dependent on tourism such as ours projects to create twice the amount

of waste our city’s sewers are able to handle, the tanks or plants should be made bigger. Another

alternative would be to implement a better system in containing all of the waste that is produced,

and not having excess waste escape into the ocean.

According to John Rumpler in his article Proposed Court Settlement Filed to Protect

Newport Area Beaches and End Sewage Pollution by Middletown, RI; the sewage system is also

unable to contain storm water when heavy snow or rain empties into our sewers. Rumpler stated,

"in 2008 alone, First Beach failed nearly one third of its tests for bacterial contamination"

(Rumpler). Obviously, this issue has been proven to be a blatant problem. First Beach is not

meeting important water containment requirements summer after summer, yet over three million

tourists flock to this beach every year. Newport resident Ted Wrobel has already been active in

fighting for environmentally safe conditions at Easton's beach. He spoke about the effect the

beach's condition has on Newport. He is quoted in the same article, “Clean beaches and bays are

not only vital for human health and wildlife. They are also the lifeblood of Newport’s economy”

(Rumpler). Increasing the safety and cleanliness of one of Newport's most popular beaches

would ensure a better decision for everyone, humans and animals included.

I propose the City of Newport seriously considers beginning to raise money to clean up

and fix the runoff and sewage over spillage once and for all. A number of suggestions have been

proposed regarding the surrounding man made damns on the opposing side of the beach. A long

term solution should be implemented, if not a permanent one. Although it would be a costly

procedure, a wide range of prices vary depending on the type of solution our city decides to
 Gilman, 4

implement. Building a dam seems to be the most efficient way to solve the cross contamination

issue Newport’s sewage has with First beach. A company by the name of Fuss & O’Neill created

a document that incorporates all of the possibilities Newport has for solving this issue in a

collection called Final Report Easton Pond Dam and Moat Study. Through charts and spread

sheets this company is able to present solutions on how to approach implementing a dam in the

area. Each project ranges from $5,000 - $281,000 depending on the lifespan the dam has to offer.

By creating a long term or even permanent dam, Easton’s beach can remain bacteria free and in

turn create even more revenue than the initial cost of the much needed project. There is no reason

our city should not pay to fix this serious and unsettling problem (Fuss & O’Neill).

As a citizen, I am hoping to gather a large group of residents and tourists that support my

beliefs in making the severe changes Easton’s beach needs to undergo a reality. As a historical

reference and vacation destination, it is our responsibility to provide a sanitary and pleasurable

place for everyone to visit. When I become a parent, I want to be able to bring my children to

Easton’s beach someday and have them enjoy summer days the way I had when I was young.

Having to explain to my kids why nobody can swim there anymore would be devastating. My

intensions through this letter is to spark further recognition in our city’s dismay with Easton’s

beach; I anticipate to initiate a forward movement in assuring the residents and tourists of

Newport that Easton’s will be clean.

Thank-you for reading:

Sara E. Gilman
Newport Resident
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Works Cited

Fuss & O’Neill. Final Report Easton Pond Dam and Moat Study. Sep 2007.

Hoffman, Burt. Newport RI Sewer Issue. Alliance for a livable Newport. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.

Rumpler, John. Proposed Court Settlement Filed to Protect Newport Area Beaches And End

Sewage Pollution by Middletown, RI. Environment America. Jan. 2010. Web. 23 Feb.

2011.

Webb, George. Book of Newport. Rhode Island. 1930. Print.