Okay, this may not be high on everyone's list of places to visit before you die, but this weekend, three local wastewater treatment facilities will open their doors for public tours. It's part of Water Infrastructure Month, and if you don't know what happens to your household water after it goes down the drain, here's your chance to find out. How these facilities work -- or fail to work -- is a major factor in all of our state's water quality, from your local streams and rivers to Narragansett Bay. In total, Rhode Island's wastewater treatment systems handle about 100 million gallons of raw sewage every day.

Two of the tour locations will offer "Catch the Science Bug" — a one-hour science program for the whole family. Tours will be held this Saturday, October 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at facilities in East Providence, Bristol, and Narragansett.  Tours in Warwick will be offered on Saturday, October 25.

You can also catch two programs about water on Rhode Island PBS on October 30. Click on "More..." for all the details about the tours and the TV shows.

LOCAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES TO HOLD PUBLIC TOURS AS PART OF WATER INFRASTRUCTURE MONTH

Facilities Seek to Raise Awareness About the Systems that Protect Public Health and the Environment and Support Economic Development

PROVIDENCE (DEM) - As part of a statewide effort calling attention to how our water infrastructure protects public health and promotes economic prosperity in Rhode Island, three local wastewater treatment facilities will open their doors for public tours this Saturday. The tours, often reserved for students and public officials, will offer a first-hand look at these multi-million dollar municipal facilities, and provide the opportunity to get to the know the Rhode Island men and women that run them. A fourth facility will be open to the public on Saturday, October 25th. In total, Rhode Island's wastewater treatment systems purify and discharge about 100 million gallons of raw sewage every day.

Two of the tour locations will offer "Catch the Science Bug" — a one-hour educational science program that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Where do you get your drinking water? How much do you use in a day? Where does water that goes down your drains eventually wind up? See how water moves through the ground and flows into reservoirs and wells via an aquifer model. Share your best water conservation tip or learn a few new ones. Afterwards, come to the water activity table to play with some water molecules.

Tours will be held this Saturday, October 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at:

    * NBC-Bucklin Point Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at 102 Campbell Ave., East Providence. Contact Superintendent Brent Herring at 434-6350. Bucklin Point will host "Catch the Science Bug" at 11 a.m.
    * Bristol Water Pollution Control Facility, 2 Plant Street, Bristol. Contact Superintendent Matt Calderiso at 253-8877.
    * South Kingstown Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at 275 Westmoreland St., Narragansett. Contact Superintendent Bernie Bishop at 788-9771.

On Saturday, October 25, the Warwick Wastewater Treatment Facility will hold its tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will also host "Catch the Science Bug" at 11 a.m. The Warwick Sewer Authority is located at 300 Service Ave. Warwick, RI 02886, just off Jefferson Boulevard. For information on the Warwick tour, contact the city's sewer authority executive director, Janine Burke, at 739-4949.

Rhode Island Water Infrastructure Month will culminate with the airing of two important educational programs on Rhode Island PBS on October 30th from 8 -10 p.m. The first, Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure, shown at 8 p.m., is a national documentary that explores the history, engineering, and political and economic challenges of our water infrastructure, and engages communities in local discussion about public water and wastewater issues.

Liquid Assets will be immediately followed by Hidden Assets: Rhode Island's Water Infrastructure, a Rhode Island PBS-produced roundtable program featuring local water infrastructure experts. The panel will include W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D., Director, RI Department of Environmental Management; Pamela Marchand, Chief Engineer and General Manager, Providence Water Supply Board; Raymond J. Marshall, PE, Executive Director, Narragansett Bay Commission; and Anthony Simeone, Executive Director, RI Clean Water Finance Agency. The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Maureen Moakley, Associate Professor, University of Rhode Island.

Participating in Water Infrastructure Month are: RI Department of Environmental Management, RI Department of Health, RI Clean Water Finance Agency, Narragansett Water Pollution Control Association, Narragansett Bay Commission, US Environmental Protection Agency, Providence Water Supply Board, RI Waterworks Association, and municipal water authorities and agencies throughout Rhode Island. For more information, visit: http://www.dem.ri.gov/h2oinfra/index.htm.

About Rhode Island's Water Infrastructure

    * Rhode Island's clean water and drinking water infrastructure is a critical asset to preserving public health and supporting economic development.
    * RI has 16 major municipal wastewater treatment facilities, plus three facilities operated by quasi-state entities.
    * In total, these facilities treat about 100 million gallons of sewage every day
    * According to DEM records, statewide there are:
          - 1250 miles of sewer lines (ranging from 8 inches to more than 8 feet in diameter. Some of these sewer lines are over 100 years old)
          - 370 municipal pump stations (which total about 1000 pumps)
    * Untreated urban stormwater discharges tons of sediment and other pollutants annually into the state's waters, and is one of the most significant sources of bacteria causing closures of beaches and shellfish waters.
    * Rhode Island's Clean Water Finance Agency expects to be able to provide loans this year for approximately $40 million leaving a funding gap of $917 million.
    * Unlike drinking water and wastewater, there is no dedicated revenue source to properly maintain, operate or make improvements to stormwater infrastructure, and though legislatively enabled, Rhode Island municipalities have not yet adopted Stormwater Utility Districts.