There is also an HISTORICAL dimension to the environment. Superfund sites took time to become polluted. Rhode Island has more than 600 dams on its rivers and streams, some of which date back more than 200 years. A few of these dams could fail catastrophically and many need repair or removal. Our long history has left us hundreds of mill buildings that are being repurposed, miles and miles of stone walls, and rolling farms. This place has actually been farmed for many centuries, not only by European settlers, but also by the Narragansett and Wampanoag. It's useful to consider how people lived in this place before the advent of the industrial revolution. History can give us a fresh perspective on how we get things done.