The Hummel Report: How Clean Is Clean Enough? The science tells us that Narragansett Bay has not been this clean in 150 years. The days of floating debris and sometimes raw sewage after heavy rainstorms are squarely in the rearview mirror, largely because of a massive combined sewer overflow project that went online eight years ago. Often called The Biggest Project You’ll Never See, it is an underground holding tank of sorts that allows overflow to be contained, then fully treated, after a heavy rainfall. “We hear anecdotally from the shellfishermen, from the boaters, that they’ve never seen the Bay this clean in their lifetime,’’ said Ray Marshall, the executive director of the Narragansett Bay Commission, which handles the sewage for a third of the entire state. That includes the communities in metropolitan Providence and the Blackstone Valley — serving a total of 360,000 people. But Marshall has also heard it from a scientist at URI, who is studying the water quality of Narragansett Bay. We first reported six years ago on Phase 1 of the CSO project, mandated by the federal Clean Water Act to achieve better water quality in the Providence River and Narragansett Bay. That first phase carried a $375 million price tag. Phase 2 was completed at an additional cost of $213 million — a hefty price tag born solely by the 80,000 customers of the Bay Commission. So while customers don’t see where their sewage goes after it leaves their homes or businesses, they do get a monthly reminder of what it costs to treat. The water improvement projects translate into rates that have more than tripled over the past 15 years; from $137 a year in 2001 to $477 a year in 2016 for an average homeowner. “The improvements have been dramatic, and there’s still more to do,” Marshall said. “There are other sources of pollution, other than combined sewer overflows and treatment plants, such as storm water. All of these things take time and they cost money.” On paper, the first two phases were supposed to take care of 60% of the pollution, but many feel it’s done much more than that. A planned Phase 3 would take care of the remaining 40% and will be the costliest segment — with an original estimate of more than $800 million. The commission has been able to make adjustments to reduce the cost to $760 million, but it still has some asking: How clean is clean enough? The commission has been negotiating with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and by extension the federal Environment Protection Agency, to push back and spread out the construction timetable for Phase 3, which runs up the eastern side of the Seekonk River, into Pawtucket and Central Falls. That means rates should remain stable for at least the next several years. “So, instead of completing Phase 3 in seven years, which would be approximately 2025, we asked for 13 additional years out to 2038,” Marshall said. “That’s what we submitted to DEM. The thought is we’ll stretch the cost out over a greater period of time.” Another question is how a new administration in Washington, one that has been critical of the EPA, will affect projects and standards going forward. Jim Hummel: Has there been any talk about a relaxing or a rolling back of clean water standards that would trickle down to you in terms of Phase 3? Ray Marshall: That’s unclear at this time. I know that the Trump Administration has basically said for every new regulation that a governmental agency wants to impose, they have to roll back two. So I don’t know how within the EPA umbrella all of that will play out. JH: It’s never good enough under the Clean Water Act until you reach 100%. Is that what I heard? RM: That’s correct. JH: And so that could be an awful lot of money for that last 5 or 10%. RM: It could be. JH: It’s the law of diminishing returns isn’t it? RM: Absolutely, it is. We’re probably three years away from any major construction, so hopefully in that period of time the skies will clear and we’ll all understand what it is we’re supposed to do and then we can move forward — or not — depending on how things tumble into place. But I can’t imagine that we won’t have to do some form of Phase 3. The Hummel Report is a 501 3C non-profit organization that relies, in part, on your donations. If you have a story idea or want make a donation, go to HummelReport.org, where you can also see the video version of this story. You can mail Jim directly at [email protected]. Lonely Planet Is Not to Be Missed Counter-Productions Theatre Company has a history of choosing relevant plays that create discussion. Their latest production, Lonely Planet by Steven Dietz, does not disappoint. You don’t want to miss this incredible two-man show running through May 7 at AS220’s Black Box at 95 Empire. Lonely Planet is a lovely statement on friendship, memory and fear in the face of disease. It’s a script full of natural poetry confronting life in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The play is set in 1992, the year AIDS became the number one cause of death for men aged 25 to 44 in the United States according to aids.gov. While HIV and AIDS are never explicitly mentioned, the language makes clear the world the characters are confronting as the play unfolds. Through monologues discussing maps, the characters illustrate the distortions we choose to see in life, the sweetness of an unlikely friendship and ultimately, that we can’t ignore the world going on around us. Christopher Plonka plays the part of Carl to perfection. Plonka bounds onto the stage with the energy and articulation of a musical theater major. At first, the affectation and intensity are overwhelming in the intimate performance space. It feels like overacting, on the verge of wearing out the audience before the end of the performance. Instead, as the play goes on, we see it is a deliberate choice on the part of Plonka. We understand that Carl deals with the fear and heartbreak in his life by being relentless happy. Carl channels his fear into a flurry of motion and words that leave him little time to think about the unnamed disease talked about throughout the play, and Plonka does a phenomenal job slowly unwrapping those emotions throughout. The other half of the cast is Jim O’Brien playing Jody. O’Brien’s Jody is an understated, but equally outstanding foil to Carl. O’Brien counters Plonka’s high energy, with steady pacing, a calm demeanor and a natural presence. At the top of the show, we see Jody’s bemused annoyance with his old friend’s antics. However, just as we begin to understand Carl’s fear, we begin to watch Jody unravel under the same anxieties. O’Brien is subtle in the unraveling, creating a sense of dread in the audience members in the steady stream of emotions that flows across his face. This production not only brings together a stellar cast, the designers all need a mention here. The play takes place in the interior of Jody’s Maps. Branigan Duguay designed a store that is at once minimal and visually interesting in the small details. Chairs that become important to the plot are stacked out of the way, ignored by Jody until Carl forces him to see them. Globes are everywhere, and the shop has the feel of being dusty and unused. Duguay also does an amazing job as the lighting designer. The lights reflect the loneliness and fear, along with the joy and friendship. The lighting contributes to the actors’ effectiveness, and perfectly sets the mood for each scene. The sound design, by Ted Clement, perfectly places us in the world of Jody and Carl. The phone ringing becomes another character. The costume design was the only question mark. Counter-Productions chose to set the play in 1992, when the Lonely Planet was first produced. While Jody’s costume is a timeless Mr. Rogers-esque slacks and sweater ensemble, Carl appears to be dressed for the 1980s. Nevertheless, the clothes perfectly suit each character’s temperament. The production clearly benefited from director, Michael Ducharme, having a clear vision, and from dramaturge, R. Bobby, doing stellar research. Many companies would have let a production like this stand alone as a conversation starter. The script is certainly powerful, and the production is outstanding. Counter-Productions isn’t your average company. Instead of wishing the audience well after the show, we were invited to a talkback conversation on the subject of HIV. Facilitated by a member of the production staff, the panel contains experts on living with the disease. On the day I attended, Dr. Amanda Noska spoke about the medical breakthroughs in treatment, and advocate Marc Paige spoke about stigmas around the disease and vouched for the very real fear for gay men in the 1980s and 1990s. Counter-Productions not only shares a beautiful production, but they allow the audience a space to process questions and emotions that may arise. In this, the production company shows it not only cares about a quality production, but it cares about the audience and creating conversation around an often-ignored subject. In short, Lonely Planet is a beautifully written script delivered by an extremely talented pair of actors under the guidance of a strong director on an exquisitely designed stage.