A Barrington resident believes the town exceeded the scope of work approved by the state when it dredged Kent Street Pond last month.

In a recent email, Mohamed J. Freij wrote that the town did not obtain a dredging permit to "excavate the pond" and thusly exceeded the scope of work that had been permitted by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

As evidence, Mr. Freij points to the notes section of the plan, which states in part "The phragmites will be removed using a small farm tractor with a front bucket which will scrape down to the roots of the phragmites allowing Town employees to remove the roots and stalks."

Mr. Freij wrote that the approved plan did not mention "dredging a pond..."

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management confirmed that the agency received a complaint on Sept. 26 regarding the dredging of Kent Street Pond… "and is investigating the matter to determine whether the town performed the work in accordance with its permit."

Work details

Town officials hired an East Providence contractor for $1,900 and also provided DPW workers to help with the project. The work involved the services of a large excavator, which dug out and removed all vegetation from the pond. When the work was finished, Kent Street Pond had been transformed into a shallow, muddy reservoir. 

Barrington Department of Public Works Director Alan Corvi said in a prior interview that the town had recognized the spread of phragmites across the pond. Mr. Corvi said DEM approved a permit for the work. He also said the decision to use a large excavator may have benefitted the wildlife at the pond. He said much of the dredging work was conducted while the excavator was on dry land. A smaller tractor would have required crews to spend more time driving over the muddy bottom of the pond.

In addition, the project was finished in one day, allowing animals a quicker return to the pond, Mr. Corvi said.

"We did our best to minimize the impact," he said. 

Mr. Corvi said the town dredged the pond in 2005 because of a similar phragmites problem, and anticipated that officials will need to complete more dredging work in the future after the weeds fill back in.