And more rain is on the way. A visit Thursday to the Atlantic Mills fish ladder in Riverside Park in Olneyville was completely disorienting. The level of the swollen Woonasquatucket River alters the whole scene. I do know that that wooden beam hadn’t there before; the rocky, gravelly sandbar (on the left) seems like a new arrival; and I think some parts of the ladder structure have been washed away.
I was joined by a gentleman who had watched the river rise from his porch on Aleppo Street. He reported that, at its height on Tuesday, the river had come up into the park and across the bike path to a depth of about two feet. The rustic zigzag fencing got flattened (see below).
Unfortunately, another 1-to-2 inches of rain is expected in the region late tonight and into Saturday morning (ProJo).
“This will only aggravate flooding concerns. While many rivers are cresting and/or receding, this influx of new water will result in sharp rises along the smaller creeks and streams first, then our larger rivers later into Saturday,” the weather service says. “High water on the rivers likely to continue through the end of the weekend.”
Obviously, damage to one fish ladder is nothing compared to the devastation being experienced by residents and business owners around the region. But memories of the 2010 flood are still fresh for many Olneyville residents. The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRCC) made this video with One Neighborhood Builders.
Learn more about the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project here. The park came to be through the heroic efforts of one Jane Sherman who back in 1993 looked at this polluted, overgrown, garbage dump of a river and envisioned the wildlife oasis and neighborhood asset that we have today (ProJo).
Riverside Park, Aleppo Street, (directions)
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This lovely fence is usually in an upright position. More ornamental than practical, it marks a visual border to the landscape. The bike path runs through the background; the flooding left behind considerable debris.
This is what a typical summer day looks like, with foliage blocking out the highway and parking lots.