Phillipsdale Landing
Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were slightly dryer this week than previous weeks, with a total of 0.53 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on the 31st. The Blackstone River flow decreased throughout the week, but remained above the 20-year daily median for the entire week. Salinity at the surface averaged 4.4 ppt and ranged from 1.4 ppt to 15.6 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 11.1 ppt and ranged from 2.0 ppt to 26.4 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 17.0 °C at the surface and 16.0 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 13.2 °C to 19.5 °C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 12.6 °C to 19.3 °C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 8.8 mg/L and ranged from 6.8 -10.4 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 7.8 mg/L and ranged from 5.5 mg/L to 10.4 mg/L. Chlorophyll was low, averaging 1.5 ug/L at the surface and 1.8 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 4.4 ug/L in the early morning of May 31st. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach Buoy remains out of the water for the winter. EM will coordinate with RIDEM to redeploy the buoy in late spring-early summer.