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 (https://health.ri.gov/data/beach-closure-data) to learn more, including data from licensed beaches on marine and freshwater with reported bacteria levels that exceed swimming criteria. For data from often unofficial beach sites check out the results reported by volunteer groups, like URI Watershed Watch check out https://health.ri.gov/data/beach-risks-observed-volunteer-groups. PLEASE report any illnesses that may have been the result of exposure to contaminated water to 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 2026 Bacteria Monitoring Results dashboard
2026 Bacteria Data Tables (Updated 7/10/2026)