BEACH CLOSURES AND ADVISORIES

The Mission of the Beach Monitoring Program is to protect the public from illnesses associated with swimming in contaminated bathing waters.

CURRENT BEACH CLOSURES

No closures exist.

CURRENT BEACH ADVISORIES

Easton's Beach, Atlantic Beach Club Beach and Scarborough State Beach: The Department of Health discourages swimming, surfing and other full body contact activities at these beaches for a minimum of 24-hours after heavy rainfall. Heavy rains and discharges from stormwater drains directly affect these waters. As a result, these waters may contain high levels of harmful bacteria that may cause illness after a heavy rain.

Statewide: The Department of Health discourages water contact in areas within 200 feet of a running storm drain. These waters may contain high levels of harmful bacteria, which may cause illness.

Upper Narragansett Bay: The Department of Health discourages swimming and other full body contact activities north of Conimicut Point. These waters are directly affected by pollution inputs due to heavy rains and discharges from area wastewater treatment facilities. Water contact should be avoided for a minimum of 3 days after heavy rainfall.

Portsmouth Park and Island Park: The Department of Environmental Management has documented evidence of human sewage in storm drain outfalls and groundwater seeps along the shorelines of Portsmouth Park and Island Park. Though available water quality data at nearby offshore monitoring stations located in the Sakonnet River and the southern portion of "The Cove" indicates safe swimming conditions, these sources are variable in nature and may cause localized areas of contamination, the extent of which is unknown. Consistent with established HEALTH policy not to swim within 200 feet of stormwater discharges, it is advised that individuals also avoid swimming in the vicinity of areas where water seeps from the ground. Because the waters potentially affected cannot be explicitly defined, the shellfish closure area may be used as a guide. Generally described, these areas include the Sakonnet River offshore of Portsmouth Park from Morningside Lane northeast to the point at Stonebridge and for Island Park, the southern portion of the Cove, commonly referred to as "Blue Bill Cove".