{"id":31,"date":"2024-01-05T09:55:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T14:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/?page_id=31"},"modified":"2025-08-18T15:52:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:52:40","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

About Us <\/h1>

Partnering with the community to improve water quality <\/p><\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
Accessibility controls<\/div>
Pause motion<\/div>
Motion: On<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Play motion<\/div>
Motion: Off<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Increase text contrast<\/div>
Contrast: Standard<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Reset text contrast<\/div>
Contrast: High<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

In 2021, the Town of Charlestown and its partners were awarded federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA’s) Southeast New England Program (SNEP) <\/a>to implement a pilot watershed management program to protect Greater Allen’s Cove and Eastern Ninigret Pond from nutrient pollution. Project goals include improved wastewater and stormwater treatment, water quality monitoring and community engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community engagement is a core component of the project, and the project partners have sought to connect with the community through a series of listening sessions. During the listening sessions, residents expressed interest in building a greater understanding of the issues facing the ponds and asked for a central repository for information and resources. Community members also asked if there were incentives to increase community members’ adoption of best practices that protect the ponds from pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to these community member requests, and inspired by successful programs in Maine<\/a> and New Hampshire<\/a>, the project partners developed Salt Pond Smart: a voluntary program to educate, support and recognize homeowners\u2019 efforts to protect and improve water quality in Rhode Island’s coastal salt ponds. All members of the community have access to information and resources through the program’s website, while residents who enroll in the Salt Pond Smart program will receive training and the opportunity to demonstrate sustainable landscapes practices and salt pond-friendly property management. Residents who meet the criteria will earn the Salt Pond Smart property certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Partners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Town of Charlestown partnered with the University of Rhode Island’s Onsite Wastewater Resource Center, the Salt Ponds Coalition, and Save the Bay to secure the initial funding for the Greater Allen’s Cove and Eastern Ninigret Pond Pilot Watershed Project. In 2024, the Tomaquag Museum joined this partnership to share their perspectives on the cultural significance of the salt ponds watersheds and the importance of healthy ecosystems to Indigenous traditions. Together, each partner contributes expertise and in-kind support to the development and implementation of Salt Pond Smart. Learn more about each partner by following the links below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Town of Charlestown <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Charlestown Onsite Wastewater Management Program is committed to serving the needs of Charlestown residents, businesses, and visitors by protecting  groundwater quality, the only source of drinking water in Charlestown,  and surface water quality through the management of on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) while providing funding, educational outreach, and technical assistance to property owners; and facilitating future economic growth balanced with resource protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onsite Wastewater Resource Center<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The URI Onsite Wastewater Resource Center provides science-based education, training opportunities and resources to communities and wastewater professionals to promote healthy septic system function and management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt Ponds Coalition<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Salt Ponds Coalition (SPC) is a local advocacy group dedicated to the protection of Rhode Island\u2019s salt ponds. SPS coordinates the collection of water quality data, advocates for healthy pond ecosystems, and provides educational opportunities through a variety of programs and volunteer work<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the Bay <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the Bay supports healthy ecosystems throughout Rhode Island. Through advocacy, education, and habitat restoration and adaptation, Save the Bay works to protect and improve Narragansett Bay, coastal waterbodies, rivers and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomaquag Museum <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tomaquag Museum\u2019s mission is to educate all of our relations (everyone) on Indigenous cultures of the Dawnland (focus Southern New England) through engagement and shared dialogue to reconcile the past and empower present and future generations. Our vision is for all our relations to understand the history and culture of the Indigenous People of the Dawnland, recognize and understand the impact of conquest and colonization on Indigenous People today, and take action to create equity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo Credit: Stephen McCandless, GIS Coordinator, Town of Charlestown<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2021, the Town of Charlestown and its partners were awarded federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA’s) Southeast New England Program (SNEP) to implement a pilot watershed management program to protect Greater Allen’s Cove and Eastern Ninigret Pond from nutrient pollution. Project goals include improved wastewater and stormwater treatment, water quality monitoring and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4751,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-31","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4751"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1525,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions\/1525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/saltpondsmart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}