PAST PROJECTS

A big project in 2016 was the removal of two sunken barges on the Green Jacket Shoal, next to Bold Point Park in East Providence. They had been cut down to the waterline by late 2015; what remained had to be removed by getting in the water with wetsuits and heavy waders, and worked mostly by feel. An underwater hydraulic chainsaw, rented from Specialty Diving Services in Quonset, was the key component in cutting the heavy waterlogged timbers into pieces that could be brought aboard the boat with a small crane. They were then cut into pieces small enough to carry and stacked for transport.

Specially challenging were the numerous metal parts, which the crew attacked on extra-low tide days with a gas-powered abrasive wheel cutter and acetylene torches. After the crew had reached all they could without drowning, a diver was brought to saw up the rest.

Our partners for this project were the RI DEM, Lighthouse Marina, Foley Dumpster, and the RI Resource Recovery Center, who were good enough to give Clean Bays a tipping fee waiver to save on disposal costs. Thanks, RIRRC!