Community Corner

Beach Closures Caused By Local Pollution, Officials Say

The state as a whole has had 107 beach closure days, up from only 54 for all of last summer.

Written by Elizabeth McNamara

It's no surprise Save the Bay chose Warwick's Oakland Beach as the setting for its press conference on the dramatic rise in beach closures this summer. With 27 closures so far this year, Oakland Beach is the veritable poster child for beach closures. 

The state as a whole has had 107 beach closure days, up from only 54 for all of last summer. 

This year's high numbers run counter to the trend over recent years, in which the number of beach closure days had been falling. the areas where closures are happening has shifted in recent years, according to Jonathan Stone, Save the Bay's executive director. 

In the past, he said, closures were often tied to faulty wastewater treatment systems. These days, the closures are more often due to failing cesspools, animal waste, and oil and fertilizer runoff. Starting to deal with each of these is necessary, Stone said. 

Warwick has particular trouble for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Greenwich Bay itself. 

"Greenwich Bay is shallow, with poor circulation," said Stone. Goddard Park Beach has also been closed several times this summer.

State Rep. Theresa Tanzi (D-Narragansett) spoke about legislation she sponsored last session requiring cesspools be replaced when a house is sold – "at the point of purchase." That bill did not reach the House floor but Tanzi said she believes it's only a matter of time.

"They still have reservations about the economics about replacement," Tanzi said about State House leaders.

She said while the real estate industry has been opposed to this sort of legislation over the years, more and more real estate agents are seeing it's inevitable.

"Five years ago, 98 percent would say no. Now, they know that owners and sellers are negotiating this already." Tanzi said the breakdown among real estate agents today is 53 percent to 47 percent. She said Massachusetts enacted this same sort of point-of-sale legislation in 1995.

There are 25,000 cesspools in the state, no small number, but not the only source of pollution in Narragansett Bay. Impermeable surfaces (most of our roads, driveways, parking lots) are another issue. 

Bristol has had no beach closure days this year. According to Stone, that's because Bristol enacted a very ambitious (and costly) mitigation plan at Bristol Town Beach, replacing hardtop with "pervious" pavement and plantings. 

"We have to approach this from many levels in order to make a change," said Tanzi.


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