River Island Park - January 16, 2023

Putting in at River Island Park

With the recent controversy about the city removing homeless camps along the Blackstone River, I decided to do a run at River Island Park. This would be my 40th trip here since I started keeping track in 2009, so I am pretty familiar with the area. The river was at a nice level - 3.6 feet, 1,300 cfs. There was a little snow on the ground when I put-in, and a few more flurries when I was out on the river. It was starting to feel like winter.

The Blackstone River has suffered many indignities over the years. It was dammed and used as a power source for industry in the nineteenth century, and it became a cesspool for the disposal of sewage and industrial waste in the twentieth century. With the establishment of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in 1986 and the ongoing construction of Blackstone River Bikepath, much has been done in recent years to improve conditions on the river. 

Campsite along the river in
January 2022

Unfortunately, one section of the river that has not benefited from this progress is downstream of River Island Park. This isolated area, hidden from view behind retaining walls from Woonsocket’s industrial past and the flood control levee that protects the city from potential flood waters, has become something of a no-man’s land. 

I am one of the few people who regularly paddles this section of the river. I launch my canoe at River Island Park, paddle downstream to enjoy the rapids below the Bernon Street, Court Street and P&W Railroad bridges, then walk back to my car along the flood control levee and Main Street Bypass. Along the way I get a view that few others see, and it is not always pretty.

The same site after the clean-up in
January 2023

With its location near Woonsocket’s downtown, this isolated section of the river has become a magnet for homeless camps. Before the recent clean-up, trash from these camps littered the banks. While paddling here I have had some interesting interactions with local residents - 'nuf said on that. The number of people I see hanging out in the area has definitely increased in recent years - maybe because a local social service agency encourages camping by giving out tents and sleeping bags. 

Of course, I realize that there is a serious problem with homelessness in the city. The fact that we have people living along the river in tents in the dead of winter is an indication of just how serious the problem is. I'm not sure what the answer is, but giving people the means to live “out of sight and out of mind” in decrepit camps along the river doesn't seem like the solution. 

On the bikepath heading back
to River Island Park

The city's recent clean-up included 13 workers who spent an entire day removing eight dump trucks loads of debris from the area. As I paddled down the river on this trip I was amazed at how much better the area looked after the clean-up. And of course, all that trash won't end up in the river next time that it floods. 

With plans to extend the bikepath into Market Square and build a greenway along the Main Street Bypass, this area has the potential to be transformed from a no-man's land into an attractive recreational space - further linking the river to the city's historic downtown. I would love to see that happen. We'll see. Already, a couple of new tents have appeared along the river. Definitely a cold, snowy day to be living outside along the river. 

New tent along the river - January 2023