Week of May 13 – 19, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of May 14th. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were wet this week, with a total of 3.18 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on May 15th. The Blackstone River flow increased during the 16th and 17th and remained above the 19-year daily median for the week.  Salinity at the surface averaged 3.1 ppt and ranged from 0.7 ppt to 6.7 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 12.0 ppt and ranged from 1.7 ppt to 29.0 ppt. Temperatures continued to increase this week, averaging 16.9°C at the surface and 14.9 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 15.3°C to 19.2°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 11.4°C to 18.1°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO remained similar to the previous week, averaging 8.9 mg/L and ranging 7.8-10.0 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 7.6 mg/L and ranged from 5.5 mg/L to 9.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations remained low, averaging 2.2 µg/L at the surface and 2.7 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 5.0 µg/L, recorded in the morning of May 15th. 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.

Week of May 6 – 12, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were wet this week, with a total of 2.03 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on May 8th.   The Blackstone River flow increased over the week, climbing above the 19-year daily median on May 8th. Surface salinity this week averaged 7.5 ppt and ranged from 2.8 ppt to 17.7 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 15.6 ppt and ranged from 4.7 ppt to 26.5 ppt. Temperatures increased this week, averaging 15.1°C at the surface and 13.6°C bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 12.3°C to 17.0°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 11.0°C to 17.5°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 9.1 mg/L and ranged 7.9 – 11.3 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 8.5 mg/L and ranged from 6.5 mg/L to 11.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations remained low, averaging 2.6 µg/L at the surface and 3.8 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 9.5 µg/L on the afternoon of May 6th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that an isolated 15-minute portion of suspect chlorophyll data from May 6th was excluded from the summary.

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.​

Week of April 29 – May 5, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of April 30th. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions included sporadic rain events, with 0.38 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow declined this week, remaining below the 19-year daily median for the week. Salinity at the surface averaged 5.9 ppt and ranged from 1.4 ppt to 19.5 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 15.4 ppt and ranged from 3.0 ppt to 25.1 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 14.4°C at the surface and 12.4°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 11.8°C to 16.1°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 9.7°C to 15.7°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 10.0 mg/L and ranged from 8.5-12.7 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 8.9 mg/L and ranged from 7.6 mg/L to 11.5 mg/L. Chlorophyll remained low, averaging 3.5 ug/L at the surface and 4.2 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 8.7 ug/L, recorded on the night of May 4th. 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.

April 22 – 28, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were dry, with only 0.05 inches on April 30th, recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow declined this week, remaining below the 19-year daily median for the majority of the week. Surface salinity averaged 4.1 ppt and ranged from 1.2 ppt to 9.1 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 13.5 ppt and ranged from 2.3 ppt to 27.1 ppt. Temperatures remained stabilized this week, averaging 12.7°C at the surface and ranging 10.0°C – 14.5°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 11.3°C and ranged 8.0°C – 14.4°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO average 10.5 mg/L and ranged from 9.5 mg/L to 11.7 mg/L.. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 9.3 mg/L and ranged from 8.1 mg/L to 11.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings remained comparable from last week, averaging 2.6 ug/L at the surface and 2.9 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 14.3 ug/L on the afternoon of April 24th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that isolated portions of suspect chlorophyll data from April 28th were excluded from the summary.

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.

Week of April 15 – 21, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swap this week on the morning of April 16th. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were mostly dry, with only 0.4 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow declined this week, remaining above the 19-year daily median for the week. Salinity at the surface averaged 1.8 ppt and ranged from 0.4 ppt to 4.4 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 9.2 ppt and ranged from 0.4 ppt to 26.3 ppt. Temperatures continued to increase this week, averaging 12.9°C at the surface and 11.6 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 10.7°C to 15.5°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 8.1°C to 15.3°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO remained similar to the previous week, averaging 10.5 mg/L and ranging 9.7-11.8 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 9.7 mg/L and ranged from 7.7 mg/L to 11.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations remained low,  averaging 2.7 ug/L at the surface and 2.6 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 11.9 ug/L, recorded in the morning of April 20th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that isolated portion of suspect chlorophyll data from April 15th was excluded from the summary.

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.

Week of April 8 – 14, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions included sporadic rain events, with 1.0 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow increased during the 12th and 13th and remained above the 19-year daily median for the week. Surface salinity this week averaged 2.4 ppt and ranged from 0.2 ppt to 7.5 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 8.6 ppt and ranged from 0.2 ppt to 26.4 ppt. Temperatures increased this week, averaging 10.5°C at the surface and 9.8°C bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 6.5°C to 12.3°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 5.9°C to 12.5°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 11.5 mg/L and ranged 10.0 – 12.7 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 11.0 mg/L and ranged from 9.1 mg/L to 12.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations remained low, averaging 2.3 ug/L at the surface and 4.2 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 15.1 ug/L on the morning of April 12th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that isolated portions of suspect chlorophyll data from April 8th to the 11th were excluded from the summary.

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.

Week of April 1 – 7, 2024

​Phillipsdale Landing

The Phillipsdale Landing sondes have been deployed for the season since April 2nd, 2024. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were wet this week, with a total of 2.22 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring between the 2nd and 4th.  The Blackstone River flow increased during the 4th and remained above the 19-year daily median for the week. Salinity at the surface averaged 1.8 ppt and ranged from 0.2 ppt to 5.7 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 9.2 ppt and ranged from 0.2 ppt to 27.6 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 7.4°C at the surface and 6.7°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 5.8°C to 9.9°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 5.6°C to 8.9°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 12.2 mg/L and ranged from 11.0-13.5 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 11.6 mg/L and ranged from 9.2 mg/L to 13.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll remained low, averaging 1.6 ug/L at the surface and 3.1 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 4.3 ug/L, recorded on the morning of April 4th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that an early portion of the bottom data is not included in the summary above due to bottom deployment getting into position.

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.

April 24, 2024

On April 24th, 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, precipitation totaled 0.28 inches as recorded at TF Green. Overall, bacteria counts were lower in both the Seekonk and Providence Rivers this week than during the previous sampling event on March 27th, likely because of the drier weather leading up to sampling. 

Fecal coliform counts were higher in the Seekonk River sites than in the Providence River sites (geometric means of 59 MPN/100 mL and 7 MPN/100 mL, respectively). The maximum count (430 MPN/100 mL) was measured at Point St Bridge. 

Enterococci results had an overall geometric mean of 14 MPN/100 mL. Enterococci counts ranged from <10 MPN/100 mL at South FP East, Gaspee Point, and Conimicut Point to 41 MPN/100 mL at Phillipsdale Landing.

The next scheduled sampling date is May 8.

The table below lists the Rhode Island bacteria standards for primary contact and shellfishing established by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). RIDEM defines primary contact as any recreational activities in which there is prolonged and intimate contact with water, involving considerable risk of ingesting water (e.g., swimming, diving, water skiing and surfing). Please note that the RIDEM bacteria standards are provided here for informational purposes only and are not intended to indicate official state compliance with primary contact or shellfishing standards.

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

 ​​Fec​al Coli​fo​rmEnterococci
Primary Con​​​t​a​c​t1​​​​​Geom​e​tric ​m​e​a​n​ ≤50 MPN/1​​00​ mL
<10% ​o​f​​ samples >400 MPN/100 ​mL
Geom​etric mean ≤35 colo​nies​/100 mL​
All sa​mples ≤104 colonies/100 ​​mL2
ShellfishingGeometric mean ≤14 MPN/100​ mL
<10% of samples >49 MPN/100 mL3​
NO ENTEROCOCCI CR​ITERIA

1Fecal coliform primary contact criteria app​lied 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.​​​​​​​​​​

April 16-17, 2024

​Nutrient samples were collected from seven river stations on April 17th and eight bay stations on April 16th. In the five days prior to sampling, there were 1.04 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. 

Among the river stations sampled, the highest total nitrogen (TN), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations were observed at Blackstone River @ Slater Mill (TN = 751 ppb, DIN = 571 ppb).  The highest total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) was observed at Blackstone River @ Bikepath Bridge (TDN = 787 ppb). The lowest TN, TDN, and DIN were observed at Moshassuck River @ Higginson Ave. (TN = 483.5 ppb, TDN = 489 ppb, DIN = 291 ppb, all averaged with duplicates).

Among the bay stations sampled, the highest surface TN, TDN, and DIN were observed at Phillipsdale Landing Surface (TN = 844 ppb, TDN = 678, and DIN = 545 ppb).  The lowest surface TN were at Pawtuxet Cove (TN = 633 ppb). The lowest surface TDN were observed at Bullock Reach Buoy (TDN = 402 ppb, average of duplicates). The lowest surface DIN were observed at Conimicut Point Surface (DIN = 301 ppb). Chlorophyll a concentrations at the surface bay stations averaged 2.39 μg/L overall with a maximum of 3.35 μg/L at the Conimicut Point.

The next scheduled sampling date is May 1, 2024.

April 3, 2024

Nutrient samples were collected from thirteen river stations on April 3rd. In the five days prior to sampling, there were 1.44 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. 

Among the river stations sampled, the highest total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations were observed at Ten Mile River @ Central Ave. (TN = 1,120 ppb, TDN = 1,150 ppb, DIN = 866 ppb). The lowest TN, TDN, and DIN were observed at Coles River @ Milford Road (TN = 531 ppb, TDN = 494 ppb, DIN = 130 ppb).

The next scheduled sampling date is April 17, 2024.

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