Emerging Contaminants in Bay Waters

Narragansett Bay and its watershed are exposed to many contaminants from runoff, industry and waste water. New work being done by Victoria Sacks and her colleagues at URI is helping us to understand what are being called "emerging contaminants" - those things that are derived from human activity that cannot be removed in the waste water treatment process. These include endocrine disrupting compounds that are found in personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and industrial processes.

In a recent study, passive samplers were deployed around the Bay watershed by volunteers, and measured levels of triclosans (common in antibacterial soaps), alkylphenols (found in detergents), and PBDEs (flame retardants). While the amounts of these contaminants found were low, they were found throughout the Bay watershed.

Other contaminants of concern within our waters are things like caffeine, hormones, and other pharmaceutical chemicals that can disrupt endocrine functions in fish and amphibians and affect the health of millions of people. These drugs are showing up not only in surface waters, but also in the drinking water of major cities. This fact sheet from American Rivers provides interesting background on the subject.

Recently, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) introduced the Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act (H.R. 2939) to establish a national pharmaceutical take back program. This program would be financed by manufacturers and would reduce the supply of unused and expired medications.

The Food and Drug Administration has a website that outlines safe ways to dispose of medication. Medication should not be flushed, and should either be taken to household hazardous waste collection or disposed of in the trash.

Pawtuxet Falls Dam Removal

This week we are celebrating the removal of the Pawtuxet Falls Dam in Pawtuxet Village. Neighbors and citizens have been coming out and enjoying the view, watching the hydraulic hammer at work. This project is very visible and while not everyone agrees with it, it has become a good educational tool to teach about river restoration. I am blogging about the project at our project blog, and you can see lots of photographs on the Save The Bay Facebook page.

Rolling back the Clean Water Act

On July 14th, the House of Representatives passed HR 2018, the "Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011." This was the latest in a series of attempts to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting our air and water and enforcing federal laws that have been in place for 40 years. The Clean Water Act was written to give enforcement responsibility to the federal government because the patchwork of state laws did not work.

HR 2018 reverses this and leaves enforcement entirely up to the states. This is a blatant attack on health and environmental protection, and wipes out decades of partnership between the federal and state governments, especially in places like the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes where watershed-wide plans and actions are in place. As we all know in the Narragansett Bay watershed, water does not obey state boundaries and we must work together for the health of our environment.

While this bill is very unlikely to go anywhere in the Senate, it is still important to ask your Senators to oppose the act and any other efforts to undermine the ability of EPA to protect our air and water. We are likely to see more erosion of funding and enforcement capability within our federal agencies, and we must keep the pressure on our elected officials to keep these agencies intact. If you would like to send a letter to your Senator, you can use this handy tool.

Fish are Returning to the Bay

The fish are coming in, and after this past weekend's full moon, we should be at the peak this week. Air and water temperatures have remained cool, but the fish are here. We will find out in a few weeks how successful this run has been. Make a visit to a local fish ladder and see how many you can see. I took this video last week at Gilbert Stuart mill in North Kingstown. A group of at least 100 fish were milling about below the fish ladder waiting for that moment to climb.

Fish counts are going on across the state. Good places to see fish are at Rising Sun Mill in Providence, and on Buckeye Brook in Warwick at the Route 117 bridge. Fish counting is also going on at Shad Factory Pond in Rehoboth.

More Weather Extremes Greet us in the New Year

I am sure that you have heard the superlatives from the recent storm that covered the United States. It was the largest storm, in terms of the area of the country that it covered, that we have ever seen. Florida is the only state that does not have snow cover. Australia, in the mean time, is suffering under summertime floods and cyclones, unprecedented in their size. I have heard theories related to various climate forcing elements - the polar vortex and changes in the jet stream, changes to ice cover over the Great Lakes and the Arctic Ocean. Weather extremes are here to stay, but what they say about our future is still unclear.

Here are a number of interesting articles related to extreme weather. This article in the New York Times suggests that warming of the Arctic Ocean has weakened the polar vortex, or jet stream, that keeps the cold air to the north.

This blog entry from the National Wildlife Federation suggests a link to heavier snow with less ice on the Great Lakes and hence more moisture in the atmosphere.

If you want to read more about the effects of extreme weather, changes in sea ice and and the research behind these theories, read this NY Times blog entry and this page from the NWF.

Weather extremes are becoming the norm, and we are going to need to adjust quickly. We can adjust, to an extent, but what about wildlife? Weather extremes send confusing signals to animals and plants about when to migrate, when to flower, when to mate, and when to search for food. This will cause disruptions to habitats, plant and animal communities, and the availability of water and food. Some species that are mobile will be less vulnerable than those that aren't - especially trees and other plants, including food crops that we all rely on. Already food and water insecurity are helping to de-stabilize global communities and political regimes. Climate disruption has been a big part of our human past and it will continue to be in the future.

Save Our Shore, Vote Yes on Four!

On November 2, Rhode Island voters will have a unique opportunity to expand public access to Narragansett Bay by 83 acres by approving a $14.7 million bond, referendum #4.

These shoreline acquisitions will allow us to enhance three geographically and physically diverse waterfront locations to promote quality of life and the economy of our state. In Warwick, $10 million will be used to acquire 81 acres at the former Rocky Point Park, opening it up for public access and recreation. In Providence, $3.2 million will be used to acquire land adjacent to India Point Park (the abandoned “Shooters” nightclub) so that it can become an active urban gateway to the bay with expanded public access and recreational opportunities. The remaining $1.5 million will be set aside to repair crumbling masonry at Historic Fort Adams to allow greater public access and use of the dramatic interior of the Fort, including the 6.5 acre parade grounds.

This is an important time to acquire and support these properties to enhance access to the Bay and increase tourism to our state. For those of you who have fond memories of Rocky Point Park, this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure this land for all. It is also a great chance to open up Fort Adams to the public and fully enjoy this historic site. This money will also open up access to the Bay in an urban area just outside the hurricane barrier, where water access is limited.

Find out more at the Save Our Shore website and sign up to volunteer on election day. If you would like a lawn sign or bumper sticker, you can pick one up here at Save The Bay or any of these locations.

Ten Mile River fish ladder project is starting construction

The Ten Mile River will be getting three new fish ladders, starting with Turner Reservoir. The water levels in the reservoir are currently being drawn down in preparation for installation of the fish ladder later this month.

Water levels will be lowered 30-42 inches and it is expected that about 15 feet of shoreline will be exposed during this time. Sampling of Turner Reservoir conducted by the MA Department of Public Health on September 1st confirmed high concentrations of the blue-green algae, Microcystis. DEM will notify the public when it is safe to resume recreational activities, but boating and other recreation on the river is currently not advised. You should also not allow your pets to drink the water due to toxins in this algae.

The project will continue into next year with the completion of fish ladders at Hunts Mill and Omega Pond. This will allow anadromous fish to gain access to the river up to the dam just above Slater Park in Pawtucket. There is a combination of 340 acres of spawning habitat in the three ponds for alewife and about three miles of river spawning area for blueback herring and American shad.