News – Narrabay

Clean Water Open House: 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 18 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, photo ops inside a sewer pipe, and other fun activities.

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).

Members of the public can book a tour at 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM or 12:00 noon by emailing nbcpr@narrabay.com. Spaces are limited. The tour will take approximately 90 minutes.

Enter NBC’s 2027 Student Poster Contest Today!

Contest deadline is Friday, May 1!

The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) is proud to sponsor its 33rd annual student poster contest. The theme of this year’s contest is Water’s Journey Through Time. The NBC would like students to artistically showcase how water has changed or will change over time. Students may want to research what the Narragansett Bay looked like many years ago and depict that view in their poster. Some may want to use their imaginations and create a poster of what Narragansett Bay will look like 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years from now. Others may want to create snapshots of Narragansett Bay starting in the past and traveling into the future. We encourage students to use their creativity and come up with their own idea of what the theme means to them.

The theme of the poster contest this year correlates with an event where NBC will open a time capsule that was buried 25 years ago. The time capsule was buried on April 24, 2001, in honor of NBC Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility’s 100^th birthday! The ceremony will take place during Clean Water Week. There are other events happening around the state honoring water that week. Please visit https://ricwa.org/event/clean-water-week-open-house/ to learn more.

The contest rules are as follows:

Students must be in grades K-6 and reside in Providence, North Providence, Johnston, Central Falls, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Cumberland, Cranston, Smithfield, or East Providence.
Posters cannot be larger than 11×17 or smaller than 8 1/2×11.
Posters must include the student’s name, grade, school, home address, and phone number on the back.
Posters become the property of the Narragansett Bay Commission.
Winners receive a $100 cash prize, winning posters are printed in NBC’s 2027 poster calendar, and winners are invited to a recognition ceremony on Wednesday, June 3^rd, 2026 at 5:00 at the NBC Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility at 2 Ernest Street, Providence.
Mail posters to the Narragansett Bay Commission’s Public Affairs Office at One Service Road, Providence, RI 02905.
THE CONTEST DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2026!

We hope that your school will be able to participate in the contest! For more information, please call the NBC’s Environmental Education Coordinator at 401-443-4947.

Win a $250 Gift Card!

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.

NBC Welcomes New CFO

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.

“Follow the Flush” with a Free Tour!

Narragansett Bay Commission Offers Free Clean Water Tours: Follow the Flush!

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

July 15, 2026

Water clarity was measured at eight locations in the Providence River and Seekonk River estuaries on July 8, 2026. In the five days prior to the survey, there was no rain recorded at TF Green. Secchi depth averaged 2.7 meters. The lowest clarity this week (2.1 meters) was measured at Phillipsdale Landing and Edgewood Yacht Club, while the greatest clarity (3.9 meters) was observed at Conimicut Point. There was no clear north-to-south gradient in water clarity among the sites this week. Overall, water clarity increased from the previous measurements (data collected July 8, 2026).

July 15, 2026

Water column profiles were conducted using a Seabird Electronics profiler at seven locations in the Providence River and one location in the Seekonk River on July 15, 2026. In the four days leading up to and including the survey day, there was no rain recorded at T.F. Green International Airport (Warwick, RI). The water column was moderately stratified at Phillipsdale Landing, Pomham Rocks, and India Point Park, and weakly stratified at Edgewood Yacht Club, Pawtuxet Cove, Bullock’s Reach, Conimicut Point, and Point Street Bridge.

Dissolved oxygen conditions were slightly below the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) throughout the water column at Point Street Bridge and in the lower part of the water column at Edgewood Yacht Club, Pomham Rocks, Phillipsdale Landing, and India Point Park. The highest fluorescence reading was observed about 0.75 meters below the surface at India Point Park.

July 6 – July 12, 2026

Walkers Point

Overall, the water quality at Walkers Point was good to fair this week. Weather conditions were wet this week, with 2.33 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. Surface salinity averaged 16.9 ppt and ranged from 4.5 ppt to 27.4 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 27.4 ppt and ranged from 23.5 ppt to 30.3 ppt. Temperatures averaged 24.0°C at the surface and 22.2°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 21.5°C to 27.6°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 20.7°C to 24.2°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Walkers Point remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO>2.9mg/L) at the surface but dropped below at the bottom depth. The longest periods of hypoxic conditions spanned 21 hours and 46 minutes, occurring at the bottom depth on the night of July 8^th to the morning of July 9^th. During this period, the DO averaged around 1.91 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 8.6 mg/L and ranged from 3.3 mg/L to 19.1 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 2.3 mg/L and ranged from 0.1 mg/L to 4.5 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings averaged 14.5 µg/L at the surface and 4.6 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 142.4 µg/L on the afternoon of July 7^th.

Bullock Reach

Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of July 7^th. Overall, water quality was good to fair at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 27.8 ppt, 29.9 ppt, and 31.8 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 24.0 – 30.2 ppt, middle salinity range 27.0 – 31.7 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 30.5 – 32.8 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 23.7°C and ranged from 21.5°C to 25.8°C. Middle temperature averaged 22.7°C and ranged from 19.8°C to 24.4°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 20.7°C and ranged from 18.7°C to 23.1°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO>2.9mg/L) at the surface and middle depths, but dropped below the hypoxia threshold at the bottom depth. The longest period of hypoxic conditions at the bottom depth spanned 5 hours and 15 minutes, occurring on the night of July 6^th to the morning of July 7^th. During this period, the bottom DO averaged around 2.64 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 7.7 mg/L and ranged 4.7 – 13.3 mg/L. Middle DO averaged 6.0 mg/L and ranged 3.7 – 8.5 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 4.2 mg/L and ranged 2.1 – 6.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 11.5 µg/L at the surface, 14.4 µg/L at the middle, and 10.1 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface chlorophyll was 24.6 µg/L on the night of July 10^th.

July 15, 2026

Surface chlorophyll data were collected on July 15, 2026, while the R/V Data Stream was underway collecting bacteria samples in the Providence and Seekonk River Estuaries. The chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as fair overall with all areas sampled having average chlorophyll concentrations between 5 µg/L and 20 µg/L. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 0.92 µg/L to 145.69 µg/L with an average of 12.05 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.

July 8, 2026

Surface chlorophyll data were collected on July 8, 2026, while the R/V Data Stream was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River Estuaries. The chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as fair overall. The North Providence River Channel, Southern Providence River and Pawtuxet River Area exhibited good water quality with average chlorophyll concentrations <5 µg/L. The Seekonk River and Edgewood Shoal had fair water quality with average chlorophyll concentrations that ranged between 5 µg/L and 20 µg/L. None of the sampled areas exhibited poor water quality with average chlorophyll concentration > 20 µg/L. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 1.11 µg/L to 78.74 µg/L with an average of 7.31 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.

June 29 – July 5, 2026

Walkers Point

Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of June 30^th. Overall, the water quality at Walkers Point was good to fair this week. Weather conditions included light rain events this week, with 0.26 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. Surface salinity averaged 20.6 ppt and ranged from 10.6 ppt to 28.9 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 26.3 ppt and ranged from 24.1 ppt to 29.1 ppt. Temperatures averaged 25.8°C at the surface and 22.5°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 22.0°C to 30.1°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 20.9°C to 24.0°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Walkers Point dropped below the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO>2.9mg/L) at both the surface and bottom depths. The longest periods of hypoxic conditions spanned 5 hours, occurring at the bottom depth on the morning of June 29^th. During this period, the DO averaged around 2.33 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 10.2 mg/L and ranged from 2.5 mg/L to 24.5 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 4.2 mg/L and ranged from 1.9 mg/L to 7.7 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings averaged 21.0 µg/L at the surface and 9.9 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 195.5 µg/L on the morning of July 1^st.

Bullock Reach

Overall, water quality was good to fair at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 28.3 ppt, 30.2 ppt, and 31.9 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 26.1 – 29.8 ppt, middle salinity range 28.0 – 31.7 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 30.3 – 32.7 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 25.3°C and ranged from 23.5°C to 27.7°C. Middle temperature averaged 23.7°C and ranged from 21.4°C to 26.4°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 20.7°C and ranged from 18.1°C to 23.9°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO>2.9mg/L) at the surface, but dropped below the hypoxia threshold at the middle and bottom depths. The middle depth had a brief drop into hypoxic conditions on the morning of July 4^th for two 15-minute intervals. The longest period of hypoxic conditions at the bottom depth spanned 12 hours and 15 minutes, spanning the night of June 29^th to the morning of June 30^th. During this period, the bottom DO averaged around 2.73 mg/L. Surface DO averaged 7.8 mg/L and ranged 4.4 – 12.8 mg/L. Middle DO averaged 5.9 mg/L and ranged 2.7 – 9.5 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 3.4 mg/L and ranged 2.3 – 6.0 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 3.2 µg/L at the surface, 15.5 µg/L at the middle, and 12.2 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum bottom chlorophyll was 41.1 µg/L on the morning of July 2^nd.

July 8, 2026

Water column profiles were conducted using a Seabird Electronics profiler at seven locations in the Providence River and one location in the Seekonk River on July 8, 2026. In the four days leading up to and including the survey day, there were 2.89 inches of rain recorded at T.F. Green International Airport (Warwick, RI). The water column was strongly stratified at Pawtuxet Cove and Phillipsdale Landing, moderately stratified at India Point Park, Bullock’s Reach, and Conimicut Point, weakly stratified at Edgewood Yacht Club and Pomham Rocks, and well-mixed at Edgewood Shoal.

Dissolved oxygen conditions were below the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) in the lower part of the water column at Edgewood Yacht Club, Edgewood Shoal, Pawtuxet Cove, Pomham Rocks, Phillipsdale Landing, and India Point Park. The highest fluorescence reading was observed about 1.00 meters below the surface at Phillipsdale Landing.

June 24, 2026

Water column profiles were conducted using a Seabird Electronics profiler at six locations in the Providence River and one location in the Seekonk River on June 24, 2026. In the four days leading up to and including the survey day, there were 2.01 inches of rain recorded at T.F. Green International Airport (Warwick, RI). The water column was moderately stratified at India Point Park, Pomham Rocks, and Conimicut Point, weakly stratified at, Bullock’s Reach, Phillipsdale Landing, and Edgewood Yacht Club, and well-mixed at Pawtuxet Cove.

Dissolved oxygen conditions were below the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) in the lower part of the water column at Edgewood Yacht Club, Pawtuxet Cove, Pomham Rocks, Phillipsdale Landing, and India Point Park. The highest fluorescence reading was observed about 1.25 meters below the surface at Edgewood Yacht Club.

July 8, 2026

Water clarity was measured at eight locations in the Providence River and Seekonk River estuaries on July 8, 2026. In the five days prior to the survey, 2.89 inches of precipitation were recorded at TF Green. Secchi depth averaged 2.3 meters. The lowest clarity this week (1.7 meters) was measured at Phillipsdale Landing, while the greatest clarity (2.5 meters) was observed at several sampling locations. There was a general north-to-south gradient in water clarity among the sites this week. Overall, water clarity decreased from the previous measurements (data collected June 24, 2026).

June 17, 2026

On June 17^th, 2026, twenty stations were sampled for fecal coliform bacteria in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers; five of these stations were also sampled for enterococci bacteria. In the five days prior to sampling, 0.01 inches of precipitation were recorded at TF Green.

Fecal coliform counts were lower in the Seekonk River, compared to the previous sampling on June 3^rd (geometric mean of 46 MPN/100 mL compared to 76 MPN/100 mL on 5/20). Fecal coliform counts were also lower in the Providence River, compared to the previous sampling (geometric mean of 9 MPN/100 mL on June 17^th compared to 13 on June 3^rd).

Enterococci results had an overall geometric mean of 14 MPN/100 mL. Enterococci counts ranged from <10 MPN/100 mL at most sites to 30 MPN/100 mL at Point Street Bridge and Phillipsdale Landing.

The next scheduled sampling date is July 1^st.

Summary of Rhode Island Bacteria Standards for Saltwater Primary Contact and Shellfishing

	Fecal Coliform	Enterococci
Primary Contact¹	Geometric mean ≤50 MPN/100 mL <10% of samples >400 MPN/100 mL	Geometric mean ≤35 colonies/100 mL All samples ≤104 colonies/100 mL²
Shellfishing	Geometric mean ≤14 MPN/100 mL <10% of samples >49 MPN/100 mL³	NO ENTEROCOCCI CRITERIA

¹Fecal coliform primary contact criteria applied only when adequate enterococci data are not available; ²Single sample maximum criterion for determining beach swimming advisories at designated beaches as evaluated by the Rhode Island Department of Health; ³For a three-tube decimal dilution.

Table adapted from Rhode Island Water Quality Regulations (250-RICR-150-05-1); see regulations for complete details.