Narragansett Bay is a unique waterbody, stretching from Rhode Island Sound waters to the falls below Slater Mill on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket. The lower bay, near Newport and Jamestown has been described by oceanographers as an "arm of the sea". The waters here are salty and relatively pristine. The mid-bay waters are more shallow and abundant with shellfish. The urban waters of the Providence and Seekonk Rivers, or the uppermost part of the bay, are truly estuarine, where salt and fresh waters mix. These important productive waters are unfortunately the most polluted with the effects of over a century of industrialization evident in water and habitat degradation, sediment contamination and reduced biodiversity.

The EMPACT project provides information to the general public and marine scientists to better understand the processes that effect water quality. With programs under construction that will limit future CSO events and reduce nutrient inputs from WWTFs, the Bay’s future is promising. Everyone who lives near the bay needs to support municipal efforts to reduce pollutant discharge to the bay and reconsider their own use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as proper disposal of waste oil and other toxic substances.