Report: RI Beach Bacteria Requires Sewer Updates to Fix

WARWICK, RI — A report released Friday warns more work is needed to ensure that all waters are safe from beach bacteria health risks, after 59 percent of RI beaches faced pathogen risk from bacteria linked to sewage runoff.

The report came after Warwick beaches at Kent County YMCA, Conimicut Beach,  and City Park Beach tested unsafe during the last two days due to beach bacteria fecal coliform counts, a common occurrence in summer.

In 2024, 25 state beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on more than one-quarter of days tested, according to Safe for Swimming?, Environment Rhode Island Research & Policy Center’s latest analysis of bacteria testing. The new research also comes as Congress considers funding for the main federal program to stop sewer overflows and runoff pollution.

“Even as Rhode Islanders are back to enjoying the fresh sea breeze and splash of waves at the beach, pollution is still plaguing too many of the places where we swim,” said Rex Wilmouth, director of Environment Rhode Island Research & Policy Center. “Now is the time to fix our water infrastructure and stop the flow of nasty bacteria and pollution to our beaches.”

To assess beach safety, the group examined whether fecal indicator bacteria levels exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) most protective “Beach Action Value,” which is associated with an estimated illness rate of 32 out of every 1,000 swimmers. Twenty-five Rhode Island beaches exceeded this safety threshold on at least one-quarter of days tested last year, with Scarborough North State Beach having bacteria levels higher than the threshold on 38% percent of days tested.

For families who want to know if their favorite beach is currently safe for swimming, the new report also includes information on how to find the latest beach closings and health advisories in Rhode Island.

Other Rhode Island beaches with pathogen contamination exceeding the threshold in 2024 included:

• Easton’s Beach in Newport County on 42% of days tested

• Dunes Club in Washington County on 67% of days tested

• Narragansett Town Beach in Washington County on 50% of days tested

• Matunuck Town Beach in Washington County on 67% of days tested

What causes beach bacteria alerts? How to prevent them

Common sources of beach contamination include sewage and runoff pollution. Scientists estimate 57 million instances of people getting sick each year in the United States from swimming in polluted waters. Those illnesses can include nausea, diarrhea, ear infections and rashes.

“The Surfrider Foundation members and supporters in Rhode Island have long been working hard to protect and enjoy our ocean, waves, and beaches.  This report shows how critical timely water quality information is to recreating safely at the beach; however, the EPA’s Beach Act Grants program that funds beach water quality monitoring programs in Rhode Island and coastal states around the country is on the federal chopping block.  In addition to funding infrastructure repairs and upgrades, we urge Congress to continue to fund the BEACH Act to safeguard public health at the beach and our valuable coastal tourism economies,” said Isabella DeFrancesco, Northeast Regional Manager of Surfrider Foundation.

The report recommends major investments to stop sewage overflows and runoff pollution. Smart investments in nature-based solutions and repair of aging systems yield cleaner water. For example, Providence implemented the combined sewer overflow abatement program that reduced sewer overflows and diverted billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater from the bay.

 “When Congress passed the Clean Water Act more than 50 years ago, our nation resolved that we would make all our waterways safe for swimming,” added Wilmouth. “It is time for Ocean State officials to commit themselves to the goal of clean, safe beaches and dedicate the resources needed to achieve it.”