CRMC to hold Greenwich Bay Public Forum

10/18/07, WAKEFIELD – The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) will hold a Greenwich Bay Public Forum on October 25 from 6-8 p.m. at Warwick City Hall Council Chambers to update citizens on implementation and water quality monitoring efforts for the Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan (SAMP). The forum will also be an opportunity for citizens to engage in a public discussion on Greenwich Bay issues.

The CRMC, along with the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, R.I. Department of Health, City of Warwick Engineering Division, and URI Watershed Watch volunteer water quality monitors are participating in the forum and will be presenting information on recent monitoring and data collection efforts. Participants will be discussing a number of issues, particularly the status of Greenwich Bay in regard to shellfish harvesting restrictions, bathing beach monitoring, nutrients and dissolved oxygen, stormwater management, and sewer line extension projects and connections.

“Throughout the process for the Greenwich Bay SAMP, public input was of the utmost importance to the CRMC, and it continues to be,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “This annual forum will serve as a barometer to the performance of the SAMP and its implementation strategies and goals. We look forward to hearing from the public and the city.”

The Greenwich Bay Public Forum will be an annual event in support of the Greenwich Bay SAMP implementation process. An agenda for the meeting is posted on the CRMC’s online calendar and may be accessed by clicking on the calendar link for October 25 at: http://www.crmc.ri.gov/. Any questions may be directed to James Boyd at the CRMC by emailing him at: jboyd@crmc.ri.gov or by calling the CRMC office at 401-783-3370.