St. Mary’s Pond in Portsmouth is indefinitely closed beginning June 13, 2016, to the general public to allow crews to perform required maintenance on the St Mary’s dam and surrounding area.

The City of Newport, Department of Utilities, Water Division owns, operates, and maintains the St. Mary’s Pond which is a public drinking water supply.

“This closure is for the safety of the public as well as the repair crews. The work and accompanying closure are vital to prolong the integrity of the water supply reservoir into the future,” a release from the City of Newport stated.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...