Kenyon Industries Renewing Permit To Discharge Into Pawcatuck River

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Kenyon Mill is located on the edge of the Pawcatuck River in both Richmond and Charlestown and is engaged in the manufacturing of natural and synthetic textile products. The mill has been discharging to the river for centuries, since the early American industrial period. For over 30 years the discharge has been regulated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and is now under the Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) Program.

The draft permit:

  • authorizes the continued discharge to the Pawcatuck River from three (3) outfalls: Outfall 001A (Outlet from the second aeration lagoon), Outfall 002A (Non-contact cooling water), and Outfall 004A (Water from under the floor of the Greige Room);
  • has been updated to modify effluent limitations and/or monitoring requirements for BOD5, TSS, Sulfide, Total Chromium, Total Phenols, Total Ammonia, Copper, Aluminum, Nickel, Zinc, Lead, Cadmium, Silver, and Whole Effluent Toxicity;
  • establishes effluent monitoring and limitations for Hexavalent Chromium and Phenol;
  • establishes a new outfall and authorizes the discharge of groundwater and floodwater diverted from the facility;
  • requires the submission of a Phosphorus and Nitrogen Removal Engineering Report within three (3) years from the effective date of the permit;
  • updates monitoring and reporting requirements to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule and the NPDES Sufficiently Sensitive Test Methods and Reporting Rule.

Because the facility cannot currently comply with the new standards, RIDEM anticipates entering into a Consent Agreement, subsequent to issuance of this permit, which will establish enforceable compliance schedules to achieve compliance with the new and more stringent permit limits.

If requested by at least 25 people or group that represents at least 25 people or government agency, then a public hearing will be held at the following time and place:
When: 5:00 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 2021
Where: Room 280, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02908

The full public notice is at the DEM website.

The hearing will not take place if not requested.

To request a public hearing, contact Max Maher at DEM before 4 p.m. on November 15. Max Maher may be contacted at (401) 222-4700 ext. 2777201 or by e-mail at maximilian.maher@dem.ri.gov

Banner image is a photo of Kenyon Mill during the great flood of 2010.