PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, in coordination with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), has awarded a $1,481,570 grant to the Smithfield Water Supply Board for the construction and implementation of the Lake Forest Health & Rehabilitation Center Log Road interconnection project. The project will address radium and manganese contamination impacting the Lake Forest Health & Rehabilitation Center’s drinking water system by allowing the facility to interconnect with the Smithfield Water Supply Board’s municipal system, which meets all regulatory drinking water standards.
“Ensuring all Rhode Islanders have access to safe drinking water is a top priority, particularly for our most vulnerable residents who may rely on small systems that lack the financial resources to address contamination issues on their own,”
“The residents and staff of the Lake Forest Health & Rehabilitation Center deserve access to safe drinking water, and that’s exactly what this project will accomplish,”
Water Commissioner. “We are prioritizing the completion of the interconnection this year, and we want to thank the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and Rhode Island Department of Health for helping us to secure the grant funding to make this project a reality.”
“This funding makes critical resources available to address immediate public health needs for susceptible populations,”
The interconnection project involves extending an existing water main approximately 2,500 linear feet to provide the facility—formerly the Hebert Health & Rehabilitation Center—with access to Smithfield’s municipal water system. This construction phase follows a previous $143,400 Emerging Contaminants grant awarded in April 2025 to complete the engineering and design portion of the project.
Funding for the grant award comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program.
Since 2024, the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank has awarded more than $16 million in Emerging Contaminants grants for drinking water improvement projects across the state.