Summer 2023’s record-breaking beach closure numbers
Why beach closures happen, and what we can all do to reduce the closure numbers
by Mike Jarbeau, Narragansett Baykeeper
Summers in Rhode Island bring about countless opportunities to enjoy Narragansett Bay. Every day, thousands of locals and tourists make their way to the shoreline to spend the day at their favorite beach.
But how do beachgoers know whether the water is safe for swimming?
That responsibility falls to the Rhode Island Department of Health, the agency responsible for the licensing and regulation of beaches in the State. From Memorial Day through Labor Day each year, the Department of Health manages a program that collects more than 1,500 water samples from licensed saltwater beaches around Rhode Island. This supplements testing done by beach managers at saltwater and freshwater beaches. When those samples indicate that bacteria levels are unsafe, the beach is closed until a clean sample is obtained.
If you’ve paid any attention to the news this summer, you may have noticed that beach closures are up this year. In 2022, there were 92 reported beach closures days through the end of July. In 2021, the number was slightly higher at 118 days. This summer, there were 205 closure days through July, or almost twice as many as in recent years. 2023 closures have already exceeded 2022, and there is still a month of beach season remaining.
Information on current closures, as well as reports on past seasons, can be found on the Department of Health’s Beach Program website.
High bacteria counts and the resulting beach closures are closely related to rainfall. The intense rain events that Rhode Island has experienced this summer flush pollutants, including bacteria and nutrients, into the Bay. Warm water temperatures contribute to ideal conditions for bacteria to flourish, leading to beach closures. Beachgoers should be aware that water quality monitoring is not an instantaneous process. Sampling takes approximately 24 hours for any bacteria to incubate in the lab, meaning that it’s important to use your best judgment when swimming, particularly in areas subject to frequent closures and after rain events.
It’s a common misconception that beach closures are caused by raw sewage flowing into the Bay. While there was some truth to this in decades past, improvements to wastewater treatment facilities and the Cesspool Elimination Act have largely eliminated this bacteria source. These days, beach closures are largely based on localized conditions, and inadequate stormwater infrastructure is a primary culprit. When stormwater is allowed to drain directly into the Bay without some sort of treatment, it can carry unwanted pollutants directly onto our beaches. Other common sources of bacteria can include pet or bird waste, unmaintained or malfunctioning septic systems, and household trash.
Save The Bay’s work helps to identify and improve local water quality issues. We partner with the Department of Health through the Urban Beach Initiative, which helps to track water quality at several locations in the Upper Bay, where no licensed beaches exist. This year, Save The Bay is collecting weekly samples at Fields Point, Stillhouse Cove, Gaspee Point, and Rocky Point. Additional Save The Bay monitoring through the University of Rhode Island Watershed Watch program helps to fill in data gaps and give us a better understanding of where work still needs to be done. In recent years, Save The Bay’s restoration team has partnered with Warwick, Cranston, East Providence, and other municipalities to improve stormwater infrastructure and remove impervious surfaces along the coast, allowing natural filtration to capture pollutants before they reach the Bay.
While Narragansett Bay is healthier than it has been in over a century, our daily activities still have a direct effect on water quality. Climate change impacts, including warming waters, sea level rise, and more intense storms, exacerbate these effects. Consider reviewing Save The Bay’s Bay-Friendly Tips for ways to reduce your own impact on the Bay, and encourage your local and State representatives to support investments in stormwater and wastewater infrastructure.