Invenergy names two supplemental water suppliers for Burrillville energy facility

Johnston Sun Rise ·

Invenergy has reached water-supply agreements with both the Narragansett Indian Tribe and private water-trucking and supply company Benn Water & Heavy Transport.

As part of these long-term agreements, either the Narragansett Indian Tribe or Benn Water can serve as supplemental water suppliers for Invenergy’s proposed Clear River Energy Center in Burrillville, should the project ever require additional water resources beyond that provided by the primary supplier, the Town of Johnston.

State regulators had required Invenergy to identify one or more supplemental water suppliers as “backup” to the Johnston supply.

Each of these supplemental suppliers will receive annual payments from Invenergy, regardless of whether the project needs any of their supply.

If backup supplies are needed, the Narragansetts will draw from their existing water supply system on Tribal land. The Tribal lands are part of the lower Wood River aquifer in the Pawcatuck Watershed, which the U.S. Geological Survey estimates has the potential to yield more than six million gallons per day – well beyond the needs of the Clear River Energy Center.

“We are fortunate to have plentiful water supplies on our reservation, and so it makes a lot of economic sense for us to serve as a backup provider for the Clear River Energy Center,” said John Brown, Narragansett Indian Tribe Medicine Man. “This provides the Tribe with a steady source of much-needed new revenue that we can use to support our community.”

Benn Water is the designated water transport company for the Clear River Energy Center, and has a long-term transportation contract with the Project. Benn is a family-owned Rhode Island business that has been transporting water for over 40 years.