HURRICANE FLOOD CONTROL PLflJI 



56. GENERAL 



The plan selected for the protection of Marragansett Bay 

 against hurricane tidal floodinj: consists of (l) a barrier 

 located at Fox Point on the Providence River, designed to pro- 

 vide protection for the greatest practicable area of the center 

 of Providence; and (2) a series of Lower Bay barriers, comprising 

 the east, west, and Tiverton Barriers, all provided i-jith naviga- 

 tion openinfTs, designed for the fcenerai protection of Narragansett 

 Bay. 



57. FOX POINT BARRIER 



a. General description . This structure, about 1,100 feet 

 long, would be ^ concrete gravity dam across the Providence River 

 in Providence, from Henderson Street on the west bank to Fox 

 Point on the east bank (see Plates 3 and U). It would include 

 four sluice gates for normal river flow, and a ptnnping station 



for passing river flow under flood conditions. Reinforced concrete 

 land walls at either end would tie into high grotmd on Blackstone 

 Street on the west end and Benefit Street on the east end. The 

 four sluice ^ates, each 20 feet mde by 2k feet high, would be 

 of a drop type, closin^^ by gravity when released, to prevent entry 

 of flood -waters from the bay. They would be capable of discharg- 

 ing all river flow, including full flood runoff, at times of no 

 hiorricane surge. The concrete pumphouse would contain five large 

 pumps capable of discharging storm water drainage and river flow 

 through the barrier i/Aien the, sltd.ce gates would be closed to a 

 tidal surge. An inlet structure with control gate and sheet 

 piling canal, at the west end of the barrier, would provide about 

 1,300 cubic feet per second of cooling water for generating sta- 

 tions of the Narragansett Electric Company. 



b. Geology . The Providence River at Fox Point is shallow 

 and underlain by organic silt up to 15 feet in depth, except 



in dredged areas. Below the silt are layers of sand and silt, 

 with some gravel, having a total thickness of 50 to 70 feet. 

 Below t>iis is !3la.cial till, sloping gently to the west, at a 

 depth varying from about 82 feet below mean sea level at Fox 

 Point to about 115 feet below mean sea level near the west bank. 

 Firm bearing would be furnished by a penetration of foundation 

 piles into this glacial till. For more detailed geological in- 

 formation see Plate Uand Appendix E, 



U2 



