Tiverton Officials Say Stafford Pond In Danger of Contamination

Stafford Pond, one of Tiverton's drinking water sources, could be in danger of contamination from fishing tournaments and seaplane landings that the state allows there, according to Tiverton officials.

On Wednesday night, the Tiverton Conservation Commission held a workshop on drinking water protection at Stafford Pond to determine threats and configure a plan to take action, the Providence Journal and The Newport Daily News report.

The commission's chairman, Thomas Ramotowski, is concerned that gasoline and oil from the state-sponsored fishing competitions could pollute the pond's waters. In a past Planning Board meeting, Ramotowski said gasoline and oil cannot be properly filtered during the purification process. Invasive species entering the pond as boats are introduced is another concern.

The state Department of Environmental Management stocks the pond with fish and allows activities like the fishing tournaments that are not allowed on other drinking water sources. According to Ramotowski, the pond is also a allocated as an official seaplane landing zone by the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The hazardous activities Stafford Pond recently became of interest when Site-Ready Materials proposed constructing a potion of its expansion project within the protected watershed area of the pond.