The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) was awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Five Star & Urban Waters Matching Grant last July for a Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project for an Urban Wildlife Refuge. Part of the grant’s scope is to design and install a vegetated roof demonstration project within the Woonasquatucket River Greenway, a green linear park located on the West Side of the City of Providence. A bicycle/pedestrian path links recreational areas, green spaces, destination sites, and the neighborhoods of Manton, Hartford, Olneyville, Valley, and Smith Hill to each other and to Waterplace Park in downtown Providence. The vegetated roof demonstration project will be installed on the Red Shed Bike Shop located within Riverside Park at 50 Aleppo Street in Providence, RI 02909.
The region to date has been slow to adopt this emerging green technology; however, there is beginning to be a sharp upswing in projects as well as interest in vegetated roofing systems and other low impact development green infrastructure systems. Vegetated roofs are recognized by the EPA as an integrated part of green infrastructure systems, and have many benefits beyond simply aiding in the control of the volume and quality of stormwater from a building’s roofs. As an example, even the small 320 s.f. vegetated roof demonstration project will retain and filter over 700 gallons of stormwater, significantly reducing peak run-off quantity while increasing its quality by improving PH and filtering out many heavy metals and other atmospheric pollutants. The shortgrass meadow vegetated roof system will also attract butterflies and other native pollinators as well as providing habitat for birds in urban environments. As an added benefit, the vegetated roof will also keep the Red Shed Bike Shop much cooler in the summertime!
Tremco Incorporated, Roofing and Building Maintenance Division donated over half of the green roof materials for the demonstration project as well as providing technical expertise in the development of the project. Tremco’s Single-Ply Membrane Manufacturer, the Cooley Group, headquartered in Pawtucket, RI also donated the root resistant PVC roof membrane for the project. Tremco is a national leader in vegetated roof research, design and installation, and has been involved with over 1.5 million square feet of vegetated roof projects throughout North America. Tremco is an active member of the Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition and was very pleased to help develop a demonstration project as part of a statewide program that will help spread the word out about the environmental benefits and practicality of vegetated roofing projects and other green infrastructure projects around the State of Rhode Island and region as a whole.
The demonstration project is scheduled to begin installation on Tuesday June 7th at the Red Shed Bike Shop at Riverside Park, 50 Aleppo Street in Providence, RI 02909. 160 pre-grown vegetated shortgrass meadow modules, each weighing over 50 lbs., and related edging and materials will need to be installed on the newly reinforced wood roof structure of the Red Shed to complete the project. Structural engineering was provided by the Structures Workshop in Providence, and Douglas Lumber provided materials for the wood roof structure. The team of Woonasquatucket River Greenway River Rangers, members of Groundwork Providence GroundCorp Crew and One Neighborhood Builders Landscape Team, will install the project. Tremco’s green roof specialist will be on site to provide technical guidance to the volunteer workforce as they install the system, and the project is scheduled to be fully completed by Wednesday June 8th, 2016.

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage, support and promote the restoration and preservation of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed as an environmental, recreational, cultural, and economic asset of the State of Rhode Island.