DEM ISSUES END-OF-SUMMER BAY MONITORING SUMMARY; BEACH CLOSURE REPORT PROVIDED BY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

RIDEM graphical banner, showing land and water scene

Home > News > News Item

BART Site

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462

For Release:	October 23, 2006
Contact:	Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402 Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM ISSUES END-OF-SUMMER BAY MONITORING SUMMARY; BEACH CLOSURE REPORT PROVIDED BY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
DEM's BayLine Closed for Season; Complaint Calls Significantly Down

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management says that Narragansett Bay monitoring this summer indicated that while water quality in the lower Bay was similar to prior years, conditions in the upper Bay and Greenwich Bay were generally worse than the prior two years and hypoxia was detected more frequently. During the summer in Greenwich Bay and the Upper Bay, a combination of warm temperatures and algae blooms resulted in locally reduced oxygen levels. Low oxygen impacts were documented, primarily during late June to mid-August of 2006, in the Providence River through Poppasquash Point in the East Passage and in the West Passage as far south as Quonset. Soft shell clam mortality again occurred this summer as it has in past years, in areas experiencing low oxygen conditions, although overcrowding of shellfish in heavily populated areas may have been a contributing factor. There were no known significant fish kill events observed this summer. Many tropical fish were observed during fish trawl surveys done by DEM's marine fisheries staff.

During the summer of 2006, there were 90 beach closures for a total of 349 closure days. The Department of Health (HEALTH) attributes the increase in beach closures from the previous two years to a substantial increase in rainfall. Between June 1^st and August 31^st of 2006, there was approximately 15 inches of rain compared to about six inches of rain during the same time period in 2005. HEALTH has found sewage overflows, stormwater runoff, and large numbers of waterfowl are the biggest threats to beach water. During the off-season, HEALTH's beach program will continue to focus on wet weather sampling to identify and eliminate sources of beach contamination. HEALTH will also continue to further refine predictive modeling for all beaches to correlate beach closures with rainfall. HEALTH officials note that the public can reduce health risks by staying away from stormwater drains during and after large storms, and refraining from feeding wildlife at beaches. Further information concerning Rhode Island beaches can be found at www.ribeaches.org.

BayLine Complaint Calls Down

During its third season this year, the number of complaint calls to DEM's 24-hour BayLine telephone information line declined dramatically from a past high of 43 to just three calls. None of the calls was from the Conimicut area, where odor complaints were frequent during the past two summer seasons.

To prevent hydrogen sulfide odors in that area, which had been a problem for the past several summers, DEM and the City of Warwick this year undertook a joint effort to remove sea lettuce washing ashore on Conimicut Beach. Removing the material while it was still green - before it decomposed - proved key to preventing odors from developing. Using a Barber Surf Rake and tractor, staff from DEM's Office of Emergency Response operated the beach cleaner along the shoreline and removed the sea lettuce, and the Warwick Department of Public Works disposed of the material. Waterfront property owners, members of neighborhood associations and civic groups, and other interested residents helped keep the waterfront clean and odor-free by removing sea lettuce in areas that DEM and the City of Warwick could not access with their equipment.

Sea lettuce, or Ulva lactuca, is green algae that lives near and below the low tide mark. When it becomes stranded on the shore, it can form large mats. As these mats decay they can produce a foul, rotten egg odor. Once the sea lettuce begins to decompose, it becomes gelatinous and is nearly impossible to remove. There is little that can be done to eliminate the foul odors at that late stage of decomposition.

The BayLine telephone information line has closed for the season and will re-open prior to Memorial Day 2007 as the state's summer beach and boating season swings into high gear again.

The seasonal BayLine provides Rhode Islanders with a central telephone number to leave a recorded message about any sign of Bay-related environmental problems for appropriate follow-up, pose questions about the Bay, and listen to updates on the overall health of the Bay.

Reports of Bay conditions, updated weekly on BayLine, were compiled from data provided by a network of monitoring stations in the Bay that monitored oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH levels, and, in some cases, water clarity and the presence of algae blooms. The monitoring data was supplemented by field observations made by DEM personnel.

Although the BayLine telephone information line is closed for the season, Rhode Islanders are still encouraged to report any Bay-related problem by calling DEM's Office of Compliance and Inspection at 222-1360 on weekdays, from 8:30 to 4 p.m. To report an environmental emergency, call DEM's 24-hour environmental police dispatch line at 222-3070.

Bay Line is an integral part of a series of initiatives undertaken at the behest of Governor Carcieri to protect Narragansett Bay. A related initiative is the Bay Assessment and Response Team (BART) which is designed to facilitate timely and well-coordinated responses to any major Bay-related environmental emergency. BART includes professional staff from DEM, the Department of Health (HEALTH), and the University of Rhode Island. Rhode Islanders can find a great deal of Bay-related information, provided by the BART program on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "BART" under "Timely Topics" on the home page.

-30-

For General Information 222-6800 • After Hours Emergencies 222-3070 • Disclaimer