Experts Say RI is a Leader on Planning for Climate Change

The organization charged with the annual monitoring of Rhode Island’s environmental health shows that the state has become a national leader on environmental and climate change issues, and has benefited from strong voices at the federal, state, and local levels.

The 2013 Environmental Monitoring Collaborative Report released today says that investing in long-term evaluation of critical issues affecting the state’s natural resources has been key to this effort, and has helped guide Rhode Island’s future management decisions that rely upon the best science available.

“Rhode Island’s natural resources, especially the very heart of the state, Narragansett Bay, are our most important economic drivers, as well as having become a touchstone for the people who live here,” said chair of the Environmental Monitoring Collaborative Nicole Rohr, assistant director of the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute.  “In particular, the work being done on preparing Rhode Island for climate change puts us in the forefront on these issues, and has been serving as a model for the rest of the United States.  But we must support these with the necessary funding for environmental monitoring.”

The 2013 annual report is by the state-mandated Environmental Monitoring Collaborative, a function of the Rhode Island Bays, Rivers and Watersheds Coordination Team, created by the General Assembly’s Comprehensive Rhode Island Watershed and Marine Monitoring Act of 2004.

“Many of Rhode Island’s environmental management objectives are based on promoting a healthy environment as the first step toward a strong economy and resilient coastal communities − safe and beautiful beaches attract visitors from around the world, healthy salt marshes protect coastal communities from the increasing threat of sea level rise and hurricanes, and the clean marine waters of Narragansett Bay support economically critical fisheries and aquaculture industries, among others,” said Rohr.

Ames Colt, chair of the RI Bays, Rivers and Watershed Coordination Team added, “One of the areas where the state has taken a lead role is in adapting to the current and future change of sea level rise and the increase in intense storms.  We are also preparing for the impacts of climate change in these areas.”

The key aspects of the 2013 Environmental Management Collaborative Report are:

• Climate change is impacting Rhode Island’s natural environment in many ways. Environmental monitoring facilitates the development of a comprehensive picture of the changes Rhode Islanders are currently facing and should continue to expect, and guides them in reducing harmful impacts and adapting to these changes. An area of particular concern is more frequent intense precipitation events that will result in higher volumes of stormwater runoff, that if not properly treated may result in more frequent beach closures and restrictions on shellfish harvesting.
• Changes in precipitation patterns will produce more intense rainfall events, but could also result in unusually dry periods in between, impacting river and stream flows, groundwater resources, flood prevention, and threats to drinking water supplies.

The need for more targeted funding of environmental protection was also stressed in the report:

• Rhode Island’s executive authorities face eroding state and federal support for environmental monitoring, and the RIEMC projects an FY 2016 annual unmet need of $2,651,000. This ongoing shortfall is already disrupting several monitoring programs, which can lead to having to make management decisions with a shortage of information on how best to move forward.
• Federal funding support through the Environmental Protection Agency for saltwater beach water quality monitoring is threatened each year.  If it is cut, there is no state funding available to conduct the water quality monitoring required to protect public health at Rhode Island’s bathing beaches. This program is critical to a state that relies on keeping its beaches clean and healthy since beaches are a primary contributor to the Rhode Island economy.

But the report did point out how investment in environmental upgrades have benefited the state:

• Despite continued funding constraints, RIEMC programs have reported notable water quality improvements. Several Rhode Island environmental monitoring programs launched enhancements to program methods, data analysis, and are diligently developing future plans to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of environmental monitoring. The best available science is key to the best decisions being made on future management issues that can protect Rhode Island’s natural resources.
• Significant reductions in nutrient discharges to upper Narragansett Bay have been realized, the result of over $250 million in infrastructure improvements at wastewater treatment facilities. This has resulted in water quality improvements at Upper Bay sites, which allows areas for shellfishing to be open for longer periods of time.
• Monitoring of marine water quality indicates that investments in wastewater treatment are reducing levels of harmful bacteria in upper Narragansett Bay, leading to discussions of licensing Sabin Point Beach in East Providence, providing more convenient beach access to urban residents.
• With support from URI’s Coastal Institute, the Watershed Watch Program developed a database of its volunteer monitoring information about freshwater and marine water quality. This not only makes the data more accessible to scientists, state agencies, watershed organizations, and the general public, but also recognizes and supports volunteer involvement in a state with a nationally recognized tradition of environmental stewardship.

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