Bacteria Monitoring Data
People (and pets) can get sick from swimming in, swallowing, or eating shellfish harvested in polluted water. Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses are unpleasant, they usually are not very serious and require little or no treatment. The most common illness is gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and the intestines that can cause symptoms like vomiting, headaches, and fever. Other minor illnesses include ear, eye and throat infections.
Please see the RI Department of Health’s website to learn more, including data from other marine beaches with bacteria levels that exceed swimming criteria (https://health.ri.gov/data/beaches/volunteergroups/) and PLEASE report any illnesses that may have been the result of exposure to contaminated water – http://health.ri.gov/beaches/about/illness/
While URI WW’s Analytical Laboratories are State certified, Watershed Watch data is intended for screening purposes only. However our data are very valuable for targeting areas of concerns and for tracking potential sources of bacterial contamination. Samples from various sites may have been collected over a period of days for each collection period, so may reflect dry versus wet weather or rain event values.
Check out the 2024 Bacteria Monitoring Results dashboard
2024 Bacteria Data Tables (Updated 3/22/2024)