Parts of R.I. inundated by high water

WARWICK, R.I., April 1 (UPI) -- Rhode Island's Pawtuxet Valley has been contaminated by millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into floodwaters, officials say.

The environmental mess continued Wednesday as sewage treatment plants in Warwick and West Warwick remained inundated by the high waters and a major sewage pumping station in Cranston failed, The Providence (R.I.) Journal reported.

"The Pawtuxet River, from whatever sources, is being impacted by raw wastewater," said William Patenaude, an engineer at the state Department of Environmental Management who coordinates local sewer system programs. "This might be a historic first. This is obviously a situation beyond anything we're used to dealing with."

People in Warwick and other communities are being asked to conserve water by not taking showers, flushing toilets only when necessary and not running dishwashers or washing machines, the newspaper said.

The flooding also submerged the million-square-foot Warwick Mall and its 70 stores, the newspaper said. Mall owner Aram Garabedian called the situation "devastating."

"We have no idea what's even going on there," Garabedian said late Wednesday.

The situation was similar up and down Rhode Island's Route 2, with floodwaters putting businesses out of commission and people out of work, possibly for months, the Journal said.

"You had such a great number of businesses that were caught off guard; they didn't take steps to prevent this from happening," said Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation in Washington. "So it's going to be a longer recovery period."

USA Today reported the flood levels are unprecedented since Rhode Island began keeping records in the 1870s.

Amtrak suspended its Acela Express service between Boston and New Haven, Conn., because of high water along the tracks east of Providence. Northeast regional service will continue to operate, but passengers should expect delays through the area, Amtrak said. Northeast Corridor service between New York and Washington was not affected.