Scum at the waterfall on the South Branch of the Pawtuxet River at the grand Royal Mills complex, in West Warwick. The Royal Mills, built in 1890 and then rebuilt in 1920, after a fire, was for years the site of a major textile mill making stuff under the brand name of Fruit of the Loom — a brand still extant.
Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary, in GoLocal24.com
Attention Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State Police! What’s the source of the revolting yellow scum and suds that appear on the South Branch of the oft-scenic Pawtuxet River, particularly when the water is high after a rainstorm? It’s especially noticeable at the otherwise beautiful waterfall along the Royal Mills complex, in West Warwick.
This pollution is killing birds and other wildlife, and proximity to it can’t be good for people either.
Locals have been asking the DEM for several years to find out why this is happening and to stop it, but as yet nothing has happened.
Is this industrial waste? There’s not much industry left in the valley. So is the pollution draining from an old closed factory? From sewers?
Or, as seems much more likely, are people dumping stuff directly into the river, which would be a crime? These sorts of miscreants, often dressing in black to avoid detection, particularly favor dumping at night to avoid the expense and inconvenience of proper disposal.
Anyway, this has gone on far too long!
Sort of the way it should look
