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Rhode Island Summary: 2006 Swimming Season
May 2007
- Introduction
- 2006 Summary Results
- For More Information
- Print version (PDF) of this document (584 K, 2 pages, About PDF)
- Raw data (MS-Excel) for Rhode Island (247 K)
Introduction
Figure 1. Rhode Island coastal counties with 2006 monitored beach data.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coast recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the State of Rhode Island for the 2006 swimming season.
From May to September 2006, the Rhode Island Department of Health collected approximately 2,800 samples from all its monitored saltwater beaches. All samples were analyzed for enterococci, as required in the federal BEACH Act rulemaking. The 2006 bathing season saw an increase in beach closures and closure days from the 2005 season. Closure days are greatly influenced by rainfall and by monitoring strategies and schedules.
The intensity and total volume of rainfall was lower during the summer of 2005 (June 1 to August 31) than the summer of 2006. Total rainfall increased from only 6.24 inches in 2005 to 14.65 inches in 2006. Significant rainfall instances (<0.50" in a 24-hour period from June 1-August 31 at TF Green) were similar, with 4 instances in 2005 and 5 instances in 2006. As HEALTH refines its sampling strategies, monitoring efforts are focused in areas of greatest concern and sample collection is targeted for times when high bacteria counts are most likely to be present.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 20 | 4 | 16 |
| Kent | 18 | 5 | 13 |
| Newport | 86 | 18 | 68 |
| Providence | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Washington | 105 | 47 | 58 |
| Totals | 236 | 74 | 162 |
2006 Summary Results
How many beaches had notification actions?
Figure 2: Monitored beaches with and without notification actions in 2006.
When monitoring of water at beaches shows that levels of certain bacteria exceed standards, Rhode Island's beach managers post a beach advisory, warning people of the possible risks of swimming, or formally notify the public that the beach is closed. Information on recent beach closures and advisories can be found on their Web site, www.ribeaches.org/closures.cfm. Of the 74 coastal beaches that were monitored in 2006, 17, or 23 percent, had at least one advisory during the 2006 season (Figure 2).
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 3: Beach notification actions by duration.
A total of 23 beach notification actions were reported in the 2006 swimming season. Seven of those lasted longer than 30 days. Figure 3 presents breakdowns of action durations.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 4: Beach days with and without notification actions.
For Rhode Island's 2006 swimming season, EPA determined there were a total of 7,474 beach days associated with the 74 monitored beaches. Actions were reported on 436 of those days or about 6 percent of the time (Figure 4).
How do 2006 results compare to previous years?
Beginning in 2003, states are required to submit data to EPA under the BEACH Act for beaches which are in coastal and Great Lakes waters. Table 2 compares 2006 data with data reported in previous years.
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 73 | 70 | 74 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 15 | 14 | 17 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 21% | 20% | 23% |
