Woonasquatucket River water test results provide encouraging news
Two-pronged cleanup efforts may be responsible for absence of fecal coliform bacteria in recent testing
By: Tim Studebaker
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – For 18 years, Cynthia Morissette has been testing water quality with her students, and the Woonasquatucket River near Riverside Park in Providence has always tested positive for concerning bacteria called fecal coliform. That is, until now.
Morissette is the Environmental Education Coordinator for the Narragansett Bay Commission. She says, “It’s 18 years, and we’ve never – and I mean I’ve taken hundreds of samples.”
For the very first time, their most recent test showed no sign of the bacteria, an indication the water quality could be improving. She says keeping our rivers healthy ultimately keeps Narragansett Bay and the ocean healthy.
Morissette says, “The reason for the educational programming and making sure that students understand how to keep their watershed healthy is because all of those water bodies are connected.”
Alicia Lehrer, Executive Director of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, says fecal coliform indicates animal or human waste in the river, either from storm water runoff or raw sewage.
Lehrer says, “If the counts are really high, it’s probably people, and it’s probably some form of sewage getting into the river.”
She says new infrastructure is now helping keep sewage out of the river, a big problem in the past. Meanwhile, her organization continues to do its part at ground level.
Lehrer says, “Storm water runoff, we hope, is getting cleaner because of all the work that we’re doing in capturing and treating that storm water before it gets into the river.”
She says environmental funding under Question 2 in the upcoming special election would help them continue their mission.
Lehrer says, “We couldn’t be more excited about the green bond.”
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2021
