Want to win a $250 gift card? You can with the Narragansett Bay Commission AutoPay and paperless e-billing sweepstakes! To enter, visit www.narrabay.com/customer-care/pay-bill/ and log into your account. Enroll in either AutoPay or paperless e-billing and you’re in. Current users will automatically be entered.
The sweepstakes runs from November 1, 2025 – January 31,2026, making it the perfect way to get your new year started right. Enroll and enter today.
The Narragansett Bay Commission has released a draft Facility Plan Amendment (FPA) for biosolids management at its Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility in Providence.
NBC initiated this FPA effort to evaluate the existing condition of sludge management facilities and operations at the Field’s Point WWTF and to recommend future facility needs. The intent of this Field’s Point WWTF FPA is to identify current operational deficiencies and determine recommended improvements for establishing reliable dewatering and biosolids management operations now and over the next 20 years which are in the best interest of NBC and its ratepayers.
Kevin McDonald has joined the Narragansett Bay Commission as Chief Financial Officer, where he will oversee the agency’s $302 M annual budget, which includes significant infrastructure investments such as the final phase of the agency’s Combined Sewer Overflow project. Mc Donald previously served as Director of Loan Operations for the US Army Corps of Engineers Water Infrastructure Financing Program and as a Senior Underwriter for the USEPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program.
“We are so pleased to welcome Kevin to the NBC,” said Executive Director Laurie Horridge. “His knowledge of public finance—and the water sector specifically—will benefit both the NBC’s ratepayers and the health of Narragansett Bay. We look forward to his collaboration and innovation as we continue to deliver on our clean water mission.”
McDonald has an undergraduate degree from Brown University in American History and a graduate degree from Harvard University in City and Regional Planning.
Narragansett Bay Commission Offers Free Clean Water Tours: Follow the Flush!
In celebration of Rhode Island Clean Water Week, the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) will offer free public tours of its award-winning Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility in Providence on Saturday, April 12 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
The tours will include a look at the region’s most sophisticated water quality lab, “touch-a-truck” and “touch-a-boat” with the NBC’s maintenance and research vehicles, a clean water scavenger hunt, and other fun activities.
“This facility is simultaneously one of the oldest and most advanced clean water facilities in the nation,” said NBC Chairman Vincent Mesolella. “We’re so excited to give the public the opportunity to ‘follow the flush’ and view the process that has made Narragansett Bay cleaner than it has been in 150 years.”
In addition, the NBC will issue certificates of completion to all students who take the tour that may be redeemed for extra credit at school (but students are advised check with their teacher first).
“I am confident that anyone who experiences this tour will be amazed and appreciative by the clean water efforts in our community,” Mesolella added.
Members of the public can book a tour on the half hours between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM by emailing nbcpr@narrabay.com. Spaces are limited. The tour will take approximately 90 minutes.
The NBC joins four other clean water agencies in Rhode Island offering free public tours during Rhode Island Clean Water Week. Information on other tours is available at ricwa.org
Phytoplankton samples were collected on October 1, 2025 at Bullock’s Reach and analyzed in the laboratory shortly after collection.
It was sunny and breezy on this day. The water temperature was 20.14 °C, the salinity was 30.14 psu, and the chlorophyll a was 4.28 ug/L.
The qualitative tow net sample had a short to moderate filtration time. The filtrate was dark brown and contained some jellyfish.
The analysis of the quantitative whole water sample revealed a total of 509,000 cells/L. The microflagellates were found at 197,000 cells/L. The most predominant phytoplankton genera were Cerataulina spp. at 85,000 cells/L, Chaetoceros spp. at 65,000 cells/L, and Ditylum spp. at 32,000 cells/L.
Thalassiosira is a genus of centric diatoms that are vital primary producers in temperate and polar seas. They can thrive in low temperature and light, as well as mixed waters, which allows them to play a large part in spring diatom blooms. They are also able to defend themselves against zooplankton, allowing them to survive the predation that normally keeps phytoplankton blooms in check.
Phillipsdale Landing
Overall, the water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was fair this week. Weather conditions were dry, with no precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow fluctuated throughout the week. Surface salinity averaged 18.3 ppt and ranged from 6.8 ppt to 26.1 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 25.1 ppt and ranged from 14.7 ppt to 28.7 ppt. Surface temperature increased this week, averaging 24.2°C at the surface and ranging 22.5°C – 26.5°C. The bottom temperature increased averaged 23.2°C and ranged 21.9°C – 25.0°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing dropped below the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. The longest periods of hypoxic conditions spanned 21.75 hours, occurring at the bottom depth from the afternoon of August 6th until the morning of August 7th. During this period, the bottom DO averaged around 1.69 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 9.1 mg/L and ranged from 1.9 mg/L to 22.2 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 3.4 mg/L and ranged from 0.0 mg/L to 12.0 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings increased from last week, averaging 30.1 µg/L at the surface and 33.1 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 349.2 µg/L on the morning of August 5th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of August 5th. Overall, water quality was good to fair at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 27.8 ppt, 29.6 ppt, and 31.1 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 24.3– 29.6 ppt, mid salinity ranged 27.5 – 30.9 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 29.5 – 32.1 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 23.6°C and ranged from 22.5°C to 25.0°C. Mid temperatures averaged 22.9°C and ranged from 21.0°C to 24.0°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 21.1°C and ranged from 19.7°C to 23.3°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) at the surface and middle depths throughout the week, while DO at the bottom waters dropped below the hypoxic threshold at the start of the week. Surface DO averaged 8.3 mg/L and ranged 5.9 – 11.9 mg/L. In the mid waters, DO averaged 6.2 mg/L and ranged 3.1 – 8.8 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 3.4 mg/L and ranged 1.9 – 6.8 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 14.4 µg/L at the surface, 9.8 µg/L at mid-depth, and 4.4 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface chlorophyll was 33.4 µg/L on the afternoon of August 5th.
Phillipsdale Landing
Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of July 29th. Overall, the water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was fair this week. Weather conditions included frequent rain events this week, with 0.74 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow fluctuated throughout the week. Surface salinity averaged 18.0 ppt and ranged from 6.2 ppt to 23.4 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 24.7 ppt and ranged from 11.1 ppt to 29.4 ppt. Temperatures averaged 25.3°C at the surface and 24.1°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 22.6°C to 29.8°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 21.9°C to 26.4°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing dropped below the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. The longest periods of hypoxic conditions spanned 10.0 hours, occurring during the morning of July 28th. During this period, the bottom DO averaged around 1.98 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 8.3 mg/L and ranged from 1.8 mg/L to 20.7 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 3.0 mg/L and ranged from 0.0 mg/L to 13.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings decreased from last week, averaging 24.2 µg/L at the surface and 27.5 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll reached 326.4 µg/L in the bottom waters during the afternoon of August 3rd. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
Overall, water quality was good to fair at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 27.4 ppt, and 29.1 ppt at the surface, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 25.3– 29.4 ppt, middle salinity ranged 26.9 – 31.4 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 29.5 – 32.7 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 24.6°C and ranged from 21.8°C to 27.6°C. Middle temperatures averaged 23.8°C and ranged from 20.9 – 26.7°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 21.5°C and ranged from 19.3°C to 23.8°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) at the surface throughout the week, while DO at the middle and bottom waters dropped below the hypoxic threshold at the start of the week. Surface DO averaged 7.6 mg/L and ranged 4.9 – 11.0 mg/L. At the middle, DO averaged 5.5 mg/L and ranged 2.8 – 9.3 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 4.2 mg/L and ranged 2.8 – 5.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 11.9 µg/L at the surface, 15.5 µg/L at the middle, and 5.7 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface chlorophyll was 41.8 µg/L on the afternoon of July 29th.
Phillipsdale Landing
Overall, the water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was fair this week. Weather conditions included trace amounts of rain this week, recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow fluctuated throughout the week. Surface salinity averaged 19.5 ppt and ranged from 9.2 ppt to 25.4 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 24.2 ppt and ranged from 10.4 ppt to 29.0 ppt. Surface temperature decreased this week, averaging 24.9°C at the surface and ranging 22.7°C – 29.0°C. The bottom temperature increased this week, averaging 24.3°C and ranged 22.4°C – 25.9°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing dropped below the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. The longest periods of hypoxic conditions spanned 21.0 hours, occurring at the bottom depth from the afternoon of July 21st until July 22nd. During this period, the bottom DO averaged around 1.68 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 6.2 mg/L and ranged from 0.8 mg/L to 15.4 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 3.4 mg/L and ranged from 0.3 mg/L to 12.0 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings decreased from last week, averaging 30.7 µg/L at the surface and 20.8 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 236.9 µg/L on the afternoon of July 25th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of July 22nd. Overall, water quality was fair to good at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 27.2 ppt, 28.9 ppt, and 30.6 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 24.4– 29.2 ppt, mid salinity ranged 26.5 – 30.1 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 29.1 – 32.0 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 24.5°C and ranged from 23.2°C to 25.9°C. Mid temperatures averaged 24.3°C and ranged from 23.3°C to 25.4°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 22.8°C and ranged from 20.9°C to 24.4°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) at the surface and middle depths throughout the week, while DO at the bottom waters dropped below the hypoxic threshold at the start of the week. Surface DO averaged 7.2 mg/L and ranged 5.2– 10.4 mg/L. In the mid waters, DO averaged 6.2 mg/L and ranged 3.8 – 8.0 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 4.3 mg/L and ranged 2.0 – 6.7 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 13.0 µg/L at the surface, 15.8 µg/L at mid-depth, and 9.1 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum chlorophyll of 31.9 µg/L was on the bottom on the morning of July 24th.
Water clarity was measured at six locations in the Providence River and Seekonk River estuaries on October 15, 2025. In the five days prior to the survey, 2.39 inches of precipitation were recorded at TF Green. Secchi depth averaged 3.0 meters. The lowest clarity this week (1.8 meters) was measured at Conimicut Point, while the greatest clarity (3.3 meters) was measured at Edgewood Yacht Club. There was a general north-to-south trend of increasing water clarity among the sites this week. Compared to previous measurements taken on October 1, 2025, water clarity remained relatively consistent at most sites. However, Pawtuxet Cove showed a notable decrease of 1.1 meters and both Bullock Reach and Conimicut Point showed a notable increase of 1.1 meters.
Surface chlorophyll data were collected on October 15, 2025, while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River estuary. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as good in all areas. The average chlorophyll concentrations were also categorized as good over all areas surveyed. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 0.64 µg/L to 3.60 µg/L with an average of 1.57 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.
Surface chlorophyll data were collected on October 1, 2025, while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River estuary. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as fair in the Seekonk River, and as good in all other areas. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as good over all areas surveyed. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 2.07 µg/L to 10.16 µg/L with an average of 4.94 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.
Phytoplankton samples were collected on September 17, 2025 at Bullock’s Reach and analyzed in the laboratory shortly after collection.
The water temperature was 20.99 °C, the salinity was 31.07 psu, and the chlorophyll a was 13.57 ug/L.
The qualitative tow net sample had a quick filtration time. The filtrate was reddish brown and murky.
The analysis of the quantitative whole water sample revealed a total of 1,014,000 cells/L. The microflagellates were found at 374,000 cells/L. The most predominant phytoplankton genera were Chaetoceros spp. at 303,000 cells/L, Prorocentrum spp. at 168,000 cells/L, and Heterocapsa spp. at 46,000 cells/L.
Gymnodinium is a genus of marine and freshwater dinoflagellates. They have two flagella used for locomotion and they are one of the few dinoflagellates that appear ‘naked’ due to their lack of armored cellulosic plates. Some species produce saxitoxins which can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.