Comprehensive Overview of Water Quality in Rhode Island

Rhode Island, the smallest land state of the U.S., is blessed with water resources. Having more than 400 miles of coastline, many freshwater lakes, and large river networks, water is very much a part of the state identity and economy. These waters are important drinking water sources, recreational centers, and fish habitats extending over Narragansett Bay to the Blackstone and Pawcatuck Rivers.

On balance, the water quality of Rhode Island is not bad, especially at forested or safeguarded watershed areas. Nevertheless, challenges are still in existence, especially around the cities of Providence and Warwick. Stormwater runoff, nutrient pollution, the aging of sewer systems, and climate pressures are issues that require proactive management plans and investment decisions. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), in partnership with other agencies such as the Rhode Island Water Resources Board and local municipalities in Rhode Island, endeavors to ensure that water quality is monitored, preserved, and ameliorated at the state level.

Rhode Island Water Quality Challenges

1. Urban Stormwater Runoff

Stormwater runoff presents one of the greatest water quality threats to Rhode Island, particularly in highly populated areas. When it rains, the water sweeps across the streets, roofs, and parking lots, gathering oil, metals, pet waste, lawn chemicals, and garbage that is subsequently emptied into rivers, lakes, and Narragansett Bay. These pollutants are a perennial problem in urbanized watersheds in Providence, Cranston, and Pawtucket, particularly in the event of mixed sewer backup (CSOs). The runoff leads to a high population of bacteria above the safety levels, leading to frequent beach closures and prohibition of shellfishing.

2. Pollution by Nutrients and Eutrophication.

Unnecessary nitrogen and phosphorus, primarily as a result of fertilizers, septic tanks, and wastewater treatment facilities, are still damaging to the water bodies in the state of Rhode Island. The nutrients supply the algal blooms (HABs), especially at Greenwich Bay, Upper Narragansett Bay, and many fresh waters such as Mashapaug Pond and Tiogue Lake. Nutrient loading leads to hypoxia (low oxygen levels) in estuarine regions, straining or killing fish and shellfish populations. Nitrogen pollution still represents one of the most unrelenting concerns despite the fact that much has been done to abate itusing the source points.

3. Old Wastewaters and Septic Systems

The state of Rhode Island has a lot of infrastructure which was constructed many decades ago and which needs a good amount of upgrading. In districts having a combined sewer, rains may bring the system to capacity and lead to raw sewage to get into the adjacent watercourse. Poor septic systems in rural and coastal areas also degrade the ground water and surrounding surface water as nutrients and bacteria are leached into the water system and this endangers the health of the population and aquatic organisms.

4. PFAS and Emerging Contaminants

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been found in a number of water supplies across Rhode Island, especially in proximity of military bases and chemical plants. The state has set the standards of PFAS in drinking water which are enforceable and the state is monitoring wells and aquifers in vulnerable regions. Other forms of emerging threats are the microplastics, pharmaceuticals residues, animals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water on the outskirts of industrial areas.

5. Shellfishing and Beach Decontaminations

Rhode Island participates in shellfishing and the industry is both economically and culturally important to the state, however, high numbers of bacteria have caused periods of closure in the shellfish gathering regions of the Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound. On the same note, closure of beaches (because of water contamination) has been increasing after heavy rains as it restricts tourism and recreation.

State and Local Efforts to Improve Water Quality

Rhode Island has launched several innovative and coordinated efforts to protect and enhance water quality. These initiatives focus on infrastructure modernization, green practices, watershed protection, and regulatory enforcement.

1. Narragansett Bay Commission and CSO Abatement Projects

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Abatement Program constitutes one of the biggest infrastructure initiatives in the state of Rhode Island in the history of Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC). It is a multi-pronged billion dollars project that has had immense success in cutting down the untreated sewage into the Narragansett Bay by creating deep underground storage tunnels, enhancing the wastewater treatment, and green infrastructure.

2. Rhode Island Green infrastructure Coalition

This alliance advocates natural remedies to minimize stormwater run off. They are rain gardens, vegetated swales, green roofs, and permeable pavements to absorb and filter the runoff and lighten the load on urban and suburban sewer systems, improving urban and suburban water quality.

3. Buffer Zone and Watershed restoration Programs

RIDEM has been using funds available to it along with those provided by the surrounding associations to restore wetlands, riparian strips, and trees and watersheds, especially sensitive regions such as the Pawcatuck watershed, and the Woonasquatucket river. These initiatives are useful in removing pollutants, streambank stabilization and safeguarding the aquatic habitat.

4. Septic Managements

The Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) program of Rhode Island regulates the design, installation and maintenance of septic systems. Other towns such as South Kingstown, and Charlestown have also enacted inspection ordinances and also financial incentives to homeowner to improve failing systems.

5. PFAS Strategic Action Plan

In 2021, Rhode Island published a PFAS Strategic Action Plan to organize the work of agencies, increase testing, monitoring, and support to the affected communities with remediation efforts. Regulatory enforcement will be in the plan and financing the mitigation and educating the masses.

Impact of Climate Change on Water Quality

Climate change poses a growing and multifaceted risk to Rhode Island’s water resources. The state is already experiencing the impacts of warmer temperatures, more intense rainfall, sea-level rise, and changing storm patterns.

1. Heavier Rainfall and Runoff Pollution

Rhode Island is experiencing the growing number of heavy-rain events, which also result in higher amounts of stormwater discharge. This compounds floods in urban areas and higher concentrations of pollutants runs in rivers, bays and lakes. It also enhances the chances of having combined sewer overflows, especially in Providence and Pawtucket.

2. Glaciers and Inland Ice Water Temperatures Increase

Increasing temperatures in lakes, rivers and shallow waters by cyanobacteria promote the growth of these toxics and marine algal blooms during summer months. These flowers degrade the quality of water, restrict leisure activities as well as degrade the population of fish and shellfish.

3. Subsidence - Sea-Level Rise and Saltwater Intrusion

Due to the large coastline, Rhode Island is highly susceptible to the sea-level rise. On the coast, aquifers are progressively vulnerable to salt-water intrusion especially in low-lying regions such as South County and Newport County risking the athleticism of proprietary wells and small urban waterworks.

4. Redresent and Deficient Flows

On the other extreme, shortage of water, in the form of drought, as occurred in Rhode Island in 2020 and 2022, also decreases streamflow and causes the surface water to become enriched with pollutants. This may cause a high gross bacteria levels, poor oxygen in the water, and problems in the small water systems of the public that utilizes reservoirs.

Although Rhode Island is small, it contributes greatly in the protection of the Northeast water resources. The determination of the state to develop a sustainable infrastructure, watershed well being, and environmental creativity has been useful in improving circumstances in the primary regions such as Narragansett Bay and its tributaries. Nevertheless, the persistent threats of stormwater contamination and nutrient surfeit and climate change-induced pressures surface necessitate the need to invest, implement science-informed policymaking, and monitor citizen involvement. Rhode Island has a chance to stay on the frontline of water quality protection in the context of its strong inter-agency cooperation and community participation.