The Rhode Island Department of Health yesterday recommended the closure of Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach because of high bacteria levels, which indicate the presence of human and animal feces. These are the second and third closures of the 2016 beach season on Narragansett Bay. Barrington Beach was closed June 10 due to high bacteria levels.

“Three years ago we stood on the shore of Oakland Beach to sound the alarm about chronic beach closures in Warwick and across Narragansett Bay,” Tom Kutcher, Narragansett Baykeeper said in a statement. “Yesterday’s Department of Health action is a sober reminder of recurrent pollution in Warwick. We urge the City to move ahead at full speed with the investments necessary to curtail polluted stormwater run-off, and encourage residents to replace cesspools with modern septic systems or tie in to the sewer system, which is the goal of the 2015 Cesspool Phase-out Act. These actions are long overdue.”

According to Save The Bay, beach closures in Rhode Island are persistent but preventable. They illustrate the environmental harm caused by polluted run-off. Every time it rains, polluted stormwater from roads, parking lots, and other hard surfaces carries with it trash, pet and animal waste, oil and other contaminants to streams, ponds and the shoreline. This contaminated stormwater threatens human health, fouls the shoreline with trash, and poses serious risks to birds, fish, and shellfish.

Cities and towns that have installed municipal sewer connections or completed stormwater improvement projects near beaches have enjoyed improved water quality and witnessed significant reductions in beach closure events. The Narragansett Bay Commission’s Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Program - a system of tunnels beneath Providence that captures storm water and sewage during heavy rainfall events for later treatment - has also resulted in dramatic improvements in water quality and reduced beach closures.

Beach closures are the result of human impacts. “What we do in our own backyard - no matter how far we live from the Bay - can contribute to the beach closures that keep our communities from enjoying this state’s wonderful natural resources,” Kutcher said. Individuals can help reduce polluted run-off and prevent beach closures by taking action:

1 Redirect downspouts onto lawn and garden areas in order to reduce the amount of water running off the land and into storm drains;

2 Minimize use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, which contaminate the Bay and harm wildlife;

3 Clean up pet poop - even in one’s own backyard - to reduce fecal bacteria in our waters;

4 Do not feed ducks and geese, whose waste adds bacteria and excess nutrients to runoff;

5 Avoid overwatering lawns or using excess water in washing vehicles;

6 Collect rainwater in rain barrels and leave grass clippings on the ground to help lawns retain moisture;

7 Do not use storm drains for pet waste, grass clippings, leaves, road sand, cigarette butts or other trash, paint, oil, cleansers or any other substance;

8 Keep septic systems in working order;

9 Replace your cesspool with a modern septic system or sewer tie-in;

10 Support efforts by cities and towns to fund the projects that can reduce and treat polluted run-off.