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3.2 Cultural, Historical, and Public Safety Siting Considerations S
ECTION
S
UMMARY
Many of Rhode Island’s dams are celebrated as relics from the past. Hydropower
development at these dams must be carried out in a way that respects and maintains their historical value.
Dam sites and their environs may be subject to one or more forms of legal protection intended to safeguard their historic or cultural value. These include the
National Register of Historic Places, local historic district ordinances, and regulations pertaining to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor.
Hydropower facilities on existing dams have the potential to alter the recreational value of Rhode Island rivers by obstructing river bank access points, decreasing
water depths needed to support paddling activity, impeding fishing activities in the immediate vicinity of the dam, and adversely affecting fish populations
pursued by freshwater anglers.
Input from the public and recreational users is crucial to assuring that new hydropower usage of existing dams does not conflict with established recreational
uses of Rhode Island’s waterways. Dam failure is on the rise across the nation. According to RIDEM, ninety-seven
of Rhode Island’s dams have the potential to cause injury, property damage, and loss of life in the event of failure.
Dam safety must be carefully evaluated and addressed prior to any hydropower development. In addition, hydropower development may provide an avenue to
leverage new funding for safety improvements to existing dams.
Dams play a significant and yet often unnoticed role in day-to-day life in Rhode Island. By providing ponds to recreate in, historic vistas to learn from, water to drink, and flood control,
dams offer multiple public services. They can also represent public threats, especially if they become derelict or experience structural failure. Retrofitting of existing dams for hydropower
raises many questions about how these services and hazards should be addressed during dam modification. In fact, these considerations may determine whether addition of hydropower is
even appropriate in the first place. The RESP relied on a literature review and a stakeholder discussion process to shed some light on these considerations.
3.2.1 Historical and Cultural Considerations
Many of Rhode Island’s dams played a vital role in the development of the state’s culture and economy. Built to turn grain mills during the colonial days or to power factory machines
during the industrial era, these dams are rare artifacts from bygone eras that provide visible reminders of the past.
Retrofitting existing historic dams for hydroelectric generation is likely to alter the appearance of these dams. Whether this change detracts from, or adds to, the historical value of a
dam is both a subjective and site-specific matter. On one hand, modern hydropower equipment
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installed on an existing dam may change or obscure the visual aspect of a dam, conflicting with its historic appearance. On the other hand, the use of an old mill dam for hydroelectric generation
may arguably be valued as a restorative twist on its former hydro-mechanical use. Citizen groups in other states have attempted to retrofit old dams for hydropower as a strategy to preserve them
from deterioration or removal Serreze 2010; Sharpe 2008. In addition to altering the historic integrity of an old dam itself, retrofitting historic dams
for hydropower purposes may indirectly alter the visual historic value of sites nearby, by introducing new and modern equipment into the panorama. For this reason, the historical
significance of a dam may require evaluation within the broader historical and cultural context of the landscape in which it is situated McClain et al. 2008.
Dams in Rhode Island and their environs may be subject to one or more forms of legal protection intended to safeguard their historic or cultural value Ch. 3 Figure 6. Each of the
following legal designations applies to certain categories of dams or rivers. National Register
of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places catalogs and protects properties deemed to possess particular historical significance. Properties may be
listed in the Register for one or more of the following reasons: they are associated with important events from the past; they are associated with an important historical person; they possess
historically significant design characteristics, methods of construction, or architectural uniqueness; andor they provide new information about our past. When a dam or its immediate
surroundings are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the dam or adjacent site is subject to the protections of the National Historic Preservation Act 16 U.S.C.
470 et seq. of 1966, which requires that all federally permitted activities, including those licensed by FERC, submit to a consultation process involving the State Historic Preservation
Officer, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and stakeholders. More information on the National Historic Preservation Act is available in Section 4.1.1 of this report. The National Register of
Historic Places lists 61 of Rhode Island’s dams as part of a historic property, and another 47 are eligible for listing SHPO, personal communication.
Historic Districts Local historic districts are special zoning areas created through
municipal ordinances to help protect historic buildings and preserve the historic character of sections of a community. Bristol, Cranston, Cumberland, East Greenwich, East Providence,
Glocester, Hopkinton, New Shoreham, Newport, North Kingstown, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, and Warwick have all passed ordinances
creating historic districts. Historic zoning was enabled by the General As sembly’s 1959 historic
district zoning legislation, which also authorizes cities and towns to create municipal commissions to review proposed changes for historic sites and areas. In addition, all Rhode
Island municipalities have comprehensive plans that include provisions for preservation of historic resources. Alteration of dams located within a historic district will likely require
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approval by the town’s historic commission, and may be subject to conditions intended to maintain the historic integrity of the area.
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor The John H. Chafee
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is managed by the National Park Service and spans the entire 46-mile-long Blackstone River Valley, from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket,
RI. Congress established the Corridor in 1986 for the purposes of “preserving and interpreting for the educational and inspirational benefit of present and future generations the unique and
significant contributions to our national heritage of certain historic and cultural lands, waterways and structures within the Blackstone Valley P.L. 99-
647.” The river’s historic dams, which supported iron, steel, and textile mills, are a vital heritage component of the Corridor. In fact, the
Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan for the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor states that much of the historic significance of the corridor derives from the fact that “it
represents the first widespread industrial use of water power in the United States State Planning Council 1990.”
The legislation establishing the Heritage Corridor created a Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, made up of individuals from the state governments of
Massachusetts and Rhode Island, local governments, the National Park Service, and others. The role of the Commission is to assist Federal, State and local authorities in the development and
implementation of an integrated resource management plan for the lands and waters encompassed by the National Heritage Corridor. Any federal entity conducting or supporting
activities directly affecting the Heritage Corridor must consult with the Commission regarding these activities and, to the extent practicable, conduct or support such activities in a manner that
the Commission determines will not have an adverse effect on the Heritage Corridor P.L. 99- 647 § 9. This category includes all FERC-licensed hydropower facilities located on the
Blackstone River. The Heritage Corridor Commission is not a permanent body, and there is no permanent
funding for Heritage Corridor preservation and educational activities. In response to this, the National Park Service completed a Special Resource Study of the Blackstone River Valley in
July 2011 to determine whether the historical features of the Heritage Corridor make it eligible for inclusion as a unit of the National Park System. In October 2011, a bill was introduced in the
federal House and the Senate to change the status of the Heritage Corridor to the Blackstone River Valley Industrial Heritage National Historical Park. If this bill is enacted, the area will
achieve the status of a national park, and will require a management plan developed by the National Park Service. This would enhance the area’s legal standing, while making it eligible for
consistent federal funding.
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Ch. 3 Figure 6. Historic and Cultural Hydropower Siting Considerations
3.2.2 Recreational Considerations
