Tidal Page. Official Watershed Council for the Salt Ponds Fall 2012

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1 Salt Ponds Coalition The Tidal Page News of the Rhode Island Salt Ponds Official Watershed Council for the Salt Ponds Fall 2012 t In This Issue Message from the President The Ice Age Origins of Our Coast and Ponds Misquamicut Sewers Status CRMC Parking Proposal for Barrier Beaches Update on Winnapaug & Quonnie Ponds 2011 Sampling Data Online The Ice Age Origins of Our Coast and Ponds Sitting on the beach under a hot August sun it is hard to think of our beloved coast as a frozen tundra, but that s just what many of of our members were contemplating after attending our annual meeting and the presentation by Dr. Jon Boothroyd on SoRho s glacial past and the climatic and geologic forces that will shape its future. Had you been here 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, not only would you genuinely be considered a local by most Rhode Islanders, but you would also have witnessed a landscape that is vastly different than that Misquamicut Sewers To sewer or not to sewer, that has been the question in Westerly and the topic of much debate this summer and fall. The specific area under consideration has been the high-density neighborhoods of Misquamicut, just to the west of Winnapaug Pond. Like many older coastal communities this region has a high density of homes on small lots, many of which started off as simple beach cottages and have grown in size and use over the years. Many still retain outdated and inefficient cesspools or septic systems. To help protect the south county salt ponds, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has adopted the goal of replacing conventional systems with high-tech systems that remove additional nitrogen from waste water. DEM has issued several edicts that move home owners along towards this goal, which often comes with a high price tag. The alternative to this strategy of slow of today. To begin with, there was an ice sheet several hundred feet thick over most if not all of the state (and all of the northeast for that matter). In fact, so much water was locked up in land ice the sea level was 400 feet lower than it is today, and little Rhody wasn t so little. If you wished to have a day at the beach, you would need to sled to the southern edge of the ice sheet and then trek for another eighty or ninety miles across what is now Atlantic Ocean to the edge of the continental shelf. Along the way, rather than dodging frenetic Labradors, you would be on the lookout for mastodons and the occasional sabre tooth Continued on page 5 CRMC Parking Plan for Barriers In the beginning of September, SPC received communications from concerned residents of Charlestown Beach Rd. regarding proposed amendments to the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) regulation Section 210.2: Barrier Islands and Spits. These changes would have allowed limited parking areas on all CRMC-designated undeveloped, moderately-developed, and developed coastal barriers for the purpose of property owner access to undeveloped lots, in accordance with a number of provisions. These provisions included restriction of the size (no greater than 400 square feet), number (one per lot), location (as close as possible to the existing roadway easement), and surface material (sand or gravel) of the parking areas. Access to the parking area could be limited by a chain on two posts but any type of fence would be prohibited. Finally, one storage bin would be allowed Continued on page 5 Continued on page 5

2 Message From Our President I was the state biologist for 30-years.. there are no bears in Rhode Island! Art Ganz as seen at the annual meting this August at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center. Dear Members, I first want to welcome our new Executive Director Elise Torello who started September first. Mark will continue on a part-time basis and will transition to his new job at the Weekapaug Inn. They will share the position and gradually transfer duties. We have been very busy and there is still plenty to keep up with. Charlestown Breachway dredging was very successful and we are now working with partners to address the needs of the Quonnie & Weekapaug breachways. We ran many successful Seaside Safaris, reaching out to well over 100 children, and led two well-attended kayak trips. We dug into the Misquamicut sewer issue and sent out an important letter to policy makers and to town residents via the newspaper. We just completed our 27th year of sampling, including a new initiative to sample creeks and drainpipes coming into the ponds. Dr. Boothroyd s presentation at the annual meeting was incredibly informative, with a record number in attendance. Dr. Jon continues to be our guidance on all things beach & breachways. In an effort to increase membership, several of our members hosted informational gatherings in their homes and invited non-members to learn about SPC. I want to thank the hosts, as well as the new members who have come on board with generous support for SPC - including funding for three water sampling stations. Eighteen of our twenty-eight stations are currently supported. Financial support for the remainder comes from our treasury and a small grant ($2200) from the Rhode Island Rivers Council. Each station costs $600 in lab fees, which are paid to URI. A subcommittee of the Board is investigating ways for improved fundraising and restructuring our membership categories to fully finance our operation. Despite our membership and fundraising successes, we are anticipating a 20% operating deficit this year due to a drop in average giving levels and increasing competition for grants. Sadly, this is typical of these trying economic times; environmental groups lose out as government support for all kinds of programs gets pared back and a larger piece of the grant pie goes to human services. We have worked hard this year, but to balance our modest budget we need to look towards those who can chip in. In this climate of government austerity, the lifeblood of non-profit groups such as ours is private support. If you love the area and are in a position to help close our twenty-thousand dollar gap with cash or stock gifts, please give generously before the end of the year. We deeply appreciate your support. As our 27th sampling season comes to a close, I want to thank all of our Pond Watchers and volunteers for their dedicated service. I am sad to report the passing of Pond Watcher Bob Loffredo, from Point Judith Pond and we send our best wishes to Pond Watcher Dick Sisson who is recovering from surgery. Thank you for your continuing support of SPC - we look forward to seeing you around the ponds and at our activities. Salt Ponds Coalition The Salt Ponds Coalition stands up for the health and sustainable use of the southern Rhode Island salt ponds. SPC is the only organization whose sole charter is to monitor and protect these unique resources. saltpondscoalition@gmail.com Mailing address PO Box 875 Charlestown, RI Board of Directors Art Ganz President Edward Callender Vice Pres., Chair Environmental Committee Marshall Mugge Treasurer Nancy Zabel Secretary David Bailey John Crandall Sarah Dodd Barbara Engel Jack Frost Sharon Frost Martha Hosp Roy Jeffrey William Lester Leo Mainelli Chris Randall Dick Sartor Executive Director Elise Torello Mark Bullinger Tidal Page Editing and Layout Mark Bullinger The Tidal Page Fall 2012 Page 2

3 Elise Torello Takes the Reins at SPC New Executive Director Brings Skills and Experience to the Post Elise Torello moved into the role of Executive Director of SPC on September 1st, replacing Mark Bullinger, who is moving on to a new position with the Weekapaug Inn. Elise is highly qualified for the position having earned a Bachelor s degree from URI in Wildlife Management, and a Master s from URI in Computer Science with an emphasis on mapping and GIS systems. Elise has been a member of the SPC Board of Directors since 2008 and has been one of our leading volunteers. Over the past four years Elise has participated in many meetings, collaborated with other watershed groups, helped lead trips, collected samples and offered extensive help with general SPC operations. What is more, she manages our membership database and helps Ted Callender process our sampling data. She developed our water quality database and the interactive maps posted on our website where sampling results are easily accessed by anyone who needs them. Thank You George Hill for Many Years of Service Long-time Board of Directors member George Hill has left our board to pursue his many and varied interests that range from gardening, to stone masonry, to pizza baking. George s commitment to SPC began back in 1995 when he joined as a Pond Watcher. He joined the BOD in 2001 and served as treasurer up until a real commitment considering it involves preparing an additional tax return every year! He and wife Cathy have been extremely generous with their time and have hosted the annual gourmet pizza event every July for many years. We will miss George, but are happy to report that the Hills will continue to host the pizza fundraiser. All of us wish George and Cathy the very best! SPC Welcomes Two New Board Members John Crandall has been a life-long resident of the Quonochontaug area and comes from a commercial fishing family. The Crandall family has been in the area since 1636! John learned fishing from his father John and boat building from Uncle Earl; he brings a wealth of local knowledge to the position. John himself continues to dig clams in the salt ponds commercially. Chris Randall is also a life-long resident of the area and works for the famiy business, where he manages the Dunns Corners branch of Randall Realtors. Chris has long had a love for the salt ponds and can be spotted on the water many evenings after work, enjoying a boat ride with his fiance, snorkeling, or poking along the shoreline in a kayak. Pond Watcher Bob Loffredo Passes Salt Ponds Coalition is saddened to report the passing of one of our dedicated Pond Watchers, Bob Loffredo, on August 13, 2012, at the age of 71. He was the husband of Paula Loffredo and a loving father and grandfather. Bob joined us last season to sample the Beef Island site on Point Judith Pond. Roy Jeffrey, coordinator of our pond monitoring program, describes Bob as having been not only a very committed sampler, but a very friendly, generous, and kind person who made a difference in his life in the very short period he knew him. He will be missed by us all. His family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Robert J. Loffredo Memorial Scholarship Fund, to benefit Prout School students, c/o St. Mary Star of the Sea Church. Page 3 The Tidal Page Fall 2012

4 Neighborhood Outreach Important Strategy for 2012 SPC made public and neighborhood outreach a priority during the busy 2012 season. Raising awareness of the importance of the salt ponds to encourage stewardship is a critical part of the SPC mission. Our first event of the season was the three-day fishing show in the Rhode Island Convention Center in March. SPC set up displays, banners and posters, and reached out to residents and seasonal visitors who enjoy the coastal waters. We also had a booth at the Frosty Drew fair in Ninigret Park in August and met dozens of interested people. Our greatest effort, however, focused on neighborhood gatherings and events. Throughout the summer we sought out concerned members who were interested in hosting a neighborhood event where we could speak about the ponds. Residents were eager to learn about their local pond and what they can do to help improve water quality. Through these events we reached well over 100 people and were joined with many new members. We also hosted a number of events that combined fun and recreation with learning and awareness building. These have included multiple kayak trips and six salt pond safaris. Our objective with these Left to right, Art Ganz, Mark Bullinger and Elise Torello present to a neighborhood group interested in the health of their local waters. events is to instill a sense of wonder and appreciation above and beyond general awareness of the ponds, with the goal of creating future stewards. We also hosted 82 people at our annual meeting, where the guest presenter spoke on sea level rise and coastal erosion. All together we connected with over 500 people this season - mostly non-members. SPC Teams With Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation on Land Trust Days Paddle On September 1st, a picture-perfect late summer Saturday morning, Salt Ponds Coalition and the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation (WFC) led 37 paddlers on an excursion around the eastern basin of Quonochontaug Pond. The highlight of the trip was beautiful Bill s Island - haven to hundreds of shorebirds thanks to the protection efforts of WFC and SPC. Bill s Island, as you may recall from past issues of The Tidal Page, is a 5-acre natural island which was threatened with development in The Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation, with the support of Salt Ponds Coalition and many other partners in the environmental community, purchased the island to protect its valuable habitat in perpetuity. In addition to enjoying a lovely morning on the water, paddlers were treated to a variety of interesting information about the pond and surrounding area. Michael Doyle, Executive Director of WFC, welcomed the large group gathered for the paddle at the breachway parking area and boat launch. Michael s mother Ann Doyle shared her extensive knowledge of Paddlers rested in front of Bill s Island and listened to Peter and Suzanne Paton talk about birds that utilize the island for feeding and/or roosting. the history of Quonochontaug Pond and showed old photographs of the former breachway and the Coast Guard lifesaving station formerly located there. Art Ganz, SPC s fearless leader, spoke about SPC s water quality monitoring and shellfish restoration efforts in the ponds. Once the paddle was under way, Professor Peter Paton, Wildlife Ecologist at the University of Rhode Island, and Suzanne Paton, Senior Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, paused the group from time to time to describe the various shorebirds great and snowy egrets, green and great blue herons, and many others that were encountered by the group. The Bill s Island paddle was one of the many events offered as part of Rhode Island Land Trust Days, a six-week series of events taking place throughout the state during August and September. The Tidal Page Fall 2012 Page 4

5 Parking Continued from front page 1 during the summer season. While property owner access is a fine thing, we were concerned about the fragile dune ecosystems and the impact such a change would have on coastal species and their habitat. We also worried about erosion, pollution, litter, increased vehicular traffic on the barrier, and overnight camping in the parking areas. On September 10th, SPC President Art Ganz and Executive Directors Mark Bullinger and Elise Torello met with James Boyd and David Reis at CRMC to discuss these concerns. SPC questioned where, within the lots and required setbacks from Sewer Continued from front page 1 and steady upgrades is to install municipal sewers. The proposed sewer project would have been implemented in phases and would have tied several area businesses and many residences into the existing municpal system. The municipal facility treats sewage from greater Westerly before releasing the treated effluent into the Pawcatuck River. The community was barrier features (ie, dunes), these parking areas could be allowed. For example, could the parking areas be allowed directly adjacent to the landward side of the dune face within the setback zone? (All development is already prohibited seaward of the dune crest, that is, on the beach). Are these parking areas considered permanent, or would they have to be removed if/when a coastal feature migrated landward and the parking area started to fall within the nodisturb zone? How much grading of the parking area would be allowed? If there is a considerable distance of town-owned land (easement) between the actual road and the property line, how much clearing of an access driveway would be allowed in addition to the 400 ft 2 parking area? And divided over the plan. Those in opposition expressed concern over cost and the fear that sewers would allow businesses and homes to expand to a scale that would overwhelm the community. Many residents were alarmed that the town council was to decide whether to implement the project without a vote by town residents - a step officials said was not necessary since funding was supposed to come only from those connecting to the system. We here at SPC were concerned over how large could the storage bins be for example, would Pods-type storage containers be allowed? These questions demonstrated to the CRMC staff that much further clarification of the proposed amendments was necessary. The scheduled public hearing regarding these changes was postponed until the revisions to the amendments could undergo internal (CRMC) and stakeholder review. CRMC has provided SPC with a draft document which addresses many concerns. SPC is carefully reviewing the new proposed revisions to Section to ensure that they are not harmful to this fragile coastal barrier environment. the effect adding so much extra sewage to the existing plant would potentially have on the Pawcatuck River and Little Narragansett Bay, and wrote an open letter to the town council - which was printed in the Westerly Sun. At the Sept. 24th Town Council meeting the proposal went down to defeat and was sent to committee for further study. The council committed to sending any future proposal to town residents for a referendum. Glacial History Continued from front page 1 cat. It was an extreme period in the development of the planet and one that literally left an indelible imprint on our land. In the following pages, we have picked up on many themes Dr. Boothroyd spoke about and have condensed information from several of his publications to help explain how the great ice age shaped our coastline and how climate and human activity continues to alter it. Above Left: Dr. Jon Boothroyd talks with SPC members after his presentation to about eighty attendees. Right: Art Ganz addresses the meeting and provides an update on SPC business, prior to introducing Dr. Boothroyd. please turn page to learn more Page 5 The Tidal Page Fall 2012

6 Glacial Origins of Our Area As the glacier melted, sediment filled in around the last remaining chunks of ice. When these chunks melted, they left deep impressions called kettle holes. Kettle holes that fill with ground water are called kettle ponds. The moraine is where the ice stalled in its retreat 21,000 years ago. The hilly terrain is a mixture of gravel, sand, silt and clay deposited by the Laurentide Glacier. th surge The north shores tend to be rocky and are made of till and outwash from the glacier Erosion along with long-shore transport of sand and sediment forms sand bars that connect the headllands and form the barrier/beaches Headland The Tidal Page Fall 2012 Page 6

7 Outflow from melting glacier creates headlands The breachways allow sand to surge into e ponds on incoming tides and storm s, where it creates expanding sand flats. Headland Overwash waves move sand from beach face to back of barrier. During the last ice age, the Laurentide Glacier extended to and defined the coast of Long Island, Block Island Martha s Vineyard and Nantucket. Because so much water was locked up in the land ice, sea level was almost 400-feet lower than it is today. The shoreline at that time was ninety miles out to sea and mastodon and mammoth roamed what is now Block Island Sound! (Graphic below by Dr. Jon Boothroyd.) Overwash from big storms forms the sand flats along the backside of the barriers. The barriers are made predominately of sand and support grasses, shrubs and trees that can survive in harsh marine conditions. Graphic on this page produced by Mark Bullinger Article Elise Torello and Mark Bullinger Page 7 The Tidal Page Fall 2012

8 Glacial Origins of the Coastal Ponds and Barriers At our August 20th annual meeting, Salt Ponds Coalition was very fortunate to have as our featured speaker Dr. Jon Boothroyd, Rhode Island State Geologist and University of Rhode Island Research Professor Emeritus in Quaternary Geology. In WHAT geology, you may ask? Quaternary geology refers to the geology of the most recent geologic time period of our planet. Thus, Dr. Boothroyd is an expert in how the glaciations and fluctuations in sea level that occurred during that period shaped the landscape we see around us, including our southern Rhode Island salt ponds (or coastal lagoons, as they are more properly known). If you missed Dr. Boothroyd s fascinating lecture to a packed house in August, we will do our best to summarize it in two parts. In this newsletter, we will summarize the glacial history of the RI salt ponds region as presented by Dr. Boothroyd in his lecture (view his slides and references at and previously in Rhode Island s Salt Pond Region: A Special Area Management Plan Chapter 4, Geologic Processes, (The entire Salt Ponds SAMP is well worth a look and is available online at ri.gov/regulations/samp_saltpond.pdf) In the next newsletter, we will summarize the information Dr. Boothroyd presented about sea level rise and storm hazards. This information about ongoing geologic processes and sea level rise is very important and relevant as RI begins development of a Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan (look for an article about this SAMP in another issue of The Tidal Page in the near future). Origins As anyone who has spent time living near the ocean knows, the coastline is a very dynamic environment with ongoing processes of erosion and deposition resulting in an ever-changing landscape. Currently, the southern shoreline of RI consists of a series of headlands connected by coastal barriers. The origin of this configuration goes back to the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which extended south to Nantucket, Block Island, and southern Long Island about 25-30,000 years ago. At that time, with so much water locked up in ice sheets, the coastline was almost 100 miles further south than it is now and the sea level was about 120 meters lower. The thick glacial ice carried with it sediment ranging from small silt-sized particles to rocks and boulders, collectively referred to as glacial till. As the climate warmed, the ice began to retreat and the ice margin reached the position of the Charlestown Moraine about 21,000 years ago. The ice margin fluctuated within the confines of the moraine for a time, forming the hill of glacial material we see north of Route 1 today. The ice was gone from Rhode Island by 18,500 years ago. Additional stratified sand and gravel was deposited by meltwater rivers flowing underneath the melting ice sheet, around its edges, and through breakout channels along the length of the ice margin. Till deposited directly by the ice forms the headlands at Point Judith and Green Hill; the Matunuck headland was created by glacial meltwater. The headlands at Weekapaug and Quonochontaug are from washout and also contain small bedrock outcrops. Gentler flows from the melting ice carried finer textured material across areas such as Matunuck. These areas are characterized by level terrain and often have stratified layers of sand and gravel. Rapid climate warming, starting about 14,000 years ago, melted enough glacial ice to bring the sea level up to its approximate current height by about 4,000 years ago. With wind, waves and time, glacial deposits were eroded and carried along the shoreline by currents. These sediments were deposited in lowlying areas as barrier spits between the higher headlands. Continuing erosion and deposition of sediments by waves and long-shore currents caused the spits to grow away from the headlands parallel to the shoreline. Eventually the spits almost completely connected the headlands, isolating the coastal lagoons behind them from the ocean except for narrow inlets through which ocean tides flowed. These inlets allowed exchange of water and sediment into and out of the lagoons. They were not fixed in one place and were kept open by tides and storm surges. Now, in Winnapaug, Quonochontaug, Ninigret, and Point Judith Ponds, these inlets are artificially fixed in place with stone walls and jetties. Eroded sediment carried by long-shore currents are transported into coastal lagoons through these inlets by incoming tides and deposited within the lagoon as flood tidal deltas, which must be maintained through periodic dredging. Above: Aerial photo of East Beach in Charlestown after the Hurricane of 1938 illustrates how overwash and surge channels carried sand from the front of the barrier to the inland side. (Photo CRMC archives) Ongoing Changes Storm waves, storm surges, and rising sea level are continuing the process of eroding the glacial deposits. Over time, these factors cause coastal barriers and The Tidal Page Fall 2012 Page 8

9 lagoons to move landward and upward. One of the ways that geologists determine this is by looking on the eroding beach face for a layer of organic material that was originally deposited within a coastal lagoon. Picture the mucky bottom of a coastal lagoon being covered by sand washed over the dune by storm surges or through an inlet, then by the dune itself as the coastal barrier migrates landward, and then eventually becoming exposed as the seaward side of the coastal barrier (the beach) is eroded by waves. Several processes contribute to this landward migration of the coastal barriers and lagoons. During big storms, waves roll over low, narrow barrier spits (overwash). The overwash transports sand from the ocean and beach face across the dunes and sometimes all the way to the lagoons. In severe storms, temporary storm-surge channels might cut through the barriers, allowing additional sediment into the lagoon. Wind-driven sand can also blow over the dunes and build the back side. Collectively, this is why the southern shores of our salt ponds are shallow and sandy, whereas the northern shores remain rocky and deeper. Above: Heavy equipment digs out after Hurricane Bob in Sand washed over the dune-line, which would normally fortify the barrier, was piled along the road, leaving unnatural channels for waves from future storms to surge through. (Photo from Boothroyd presentation.) Battle Lines For many decades overwash sand that has landed on roads or developed property has been moved back to the beach face or piled along the road during post-storm cleanup, interfering with the natural landward migration of these coastal barriers. This results in the on-going battle of man against the sea, fought along the sandy barriers and beaches; a battle that will go on until one day a big hurricane comes along and rolls over the fortifications and coastal infrastructure and puts the coast line where Mother Nature pleases. According to Dr. Boothroyd, reclaiming the barrier after a large storm often sets the stage for further damage in future storms. By cutting driveways into the newly formed dunes to regain access to beach-front houses, people and towns inadvertently create weak spots in the dune, where storm surges can break through and wash into the interior of the barrier; pre-formed surge channels if you will. The road that has been dug into the dune then allows surge water to flow left and right until it finds a low spot on the inland side. The advance and retreat of the southern shoreline of RI has been studied by University of Rhode Island faculty and students over many decades, and the data they use in these studies date back even further. Their measurements were done in two ways: using photogrammetric (aerial photography) surveys measuring movement of dune and high water lines over time, and using beach profile measurements of volume and shape changes. Available aerial photographs of the south shore date back to Comparison of these 1939 images with aerial photographs taken since then allows calculation of annual rates of change in mean high water. These studies show a great deal of short-term variability in erosion/ deposition rates, but that long-term most of the southern RI shoreline is eroding (shoreline change maps from for the entire state of RI are available at the CRMC web site, ri.gov/maps/maps_shorechange.html). The maximum average erosion rate from was 1.0 meters (3.3 feet) per year at the east end of East Beach. At the other end of the spectrum, adjacent to Weekapaug inlet, average deposition of 0.5 meters (1.7 feet) per year was measured. Most shoreline retreat is episodic, occurring during hurricanes and severe winter storms. In chapter 6 of the Salt Ponds SAMP, Dr. Boothroyd cites a report stating that during the great hurricane of 1938, Watch Hill bluff receded 35 feet and the foredune zone at Weekapaug receded 50 feet within a few hours! So, thanks to the last glaciation and the Laurentide Ice Sheet, plus the energetic, dynamic nature of the coastal environment, we have our beautiful southern RI coastal lagoons (salt ponds). Now that people are living around the ponds and on the barrier spits, the natural processes governing the location and migration of these features are no longer allowed to proceed unfettered. With continuing (and potentially accelerating) sea level rise and coastal erosion, plus the prospect of increasing storm frequency and severity due to climate change, it is time to plan for how to manage the impacts of these processes. A Shoreline Change SAMP has been proposed by CRMC. If funded, it will attempt to create policy to address the impact to properties, infrastructure, and shoreline access, and devise strategies on how to live with coastal retreat. Salt Ponds Coalition intends to be an active participant this SAMP. Page 9 The Tidal Page Fall 2012

10 Tale of Two Ponds - Part 1 Elise Torello When those of us from Salt Ponds Coalition (SPC) speak with folks who live near a southern RI salt pond, often the first question we are asked is so how s the pond doing? This is a question that is not easily answered with a one- or two-liner. The ponds are complex, dynamic ecosystems which are affected by many external factors, including but certainly not limited to human development, weather, climate, wildlife, the ocean, and even atmospheric deposition of contaminants from hundreds of miles away. We at SPC collect a great deal of data on six coastal ponds every year, and we have been doing this for 27 years. Having a long-term data record for our ponds allows us to track trends in pond health and also to look for possible effects of extreme events such as the great floods of spring 2010 or tropical storms. (see article on page 5 of The Tidal Page, Fall 2011 concerning Nature s Imprint on Rhode Island s Salt Ponds) Six ponds x 27 years x several testing parameters = LOTS of data! Our very large water quality database includes parameters such as dissolved oxygen, bacteria, chlorophyll, nitrate, and ammonia important data, which in its raw form may not make much sense to non-scientists. For some of these data, high numbers are good (dissolved oxygen, for example). For others, high numbers are of concern (e.g., bacteria and nutrients). How do we turn all of these data into information that people can use? This is an ongoing question with which all watershed organizations struggle. At SPC, we are fortunate to have a PhD geochemist (with expertise in Geology and Water Chemistry) on our board of directors--dr. Ted Callender. Ted adapted an Aquatic Health Index (AHI) developed for Buzzard s Bay, MA for use with our RI salt ponds. This AHI uses equations based on scientific research about healthy thresholds for five of our testing parameters to score data on a scale of 0 to 100, just like a school report card. Thus, a score of less than 35 for a data value is poor and a score of greater than 65 is good, regardless of whether an actual high or low data value is good or bad. For example, a high AHI value would be calculated for a high dissolved oxygen value (high=good!), and a high AHI value is also calculated for a low dissolved inorganic nitrogen value (low=good!). An average AHI score is calculated for each testing site, and from the site averages an average AHI is calculated for each pond to give an overall picture of pond health. Finally, we produce a report for each pond including a table of AHI values and a map showing symbols for each AHI score. All of these reports are available through the water data page on our web site: monitoring.html. For those of you who want to dig deeper into the data, there are more detailed data reports for each sampling site also available through Google Maps on our web site. So, getting back to that original question of how s the pond, here is the beginning of a response. This article will present an overview of the status of the westernmost two ponds, Winnapaug and Quonochontaug. Our next newsletter will move eastward to the next two ponds, Ninigret and Green Hill, which also happen to be connected physically by a channel. The newsletter after that will present the status of the easternmost two ponds, Potter and Point Judith. Figure 1 is a plot of average AHI values for sampling sites in Winnapaug Pond. These values are averages of the AHI values for individual data parameters at each site. SPC is currently monitoring two sites in Winnapaug Pond--Southwest Corner and East Basin. There were other sites monitored in past years; however, SPC made the decision to focus on building a data record at the current two sites since they are more generally representative of the waters of the pond. Older sites are included in Figure 1 to provide more data, since the East Basin site has only been sampled for two years. In 2011, both of the sites monitored were in the good AHI category (AHI > 65) and had both improved relative to the 2010 data. We are encouraged by the water quality monitoring results for Winnapaug Pond, but are still concerned by the lack of eelgrass in the pond. Long-term residents describe the dense and widespread eelgrass beds which used to cover the bottom of the pond. Eelgrass beds may be a bit of a nuisance to boaters, but they provide vital habitat for a wide variety marine creatures including commercially and recreationally important finfish and shellfish. SPC is also concerned about the degree to which the pond has filled with sand transported in through the Weekapaug breachway. Reversing the damage from this sedimentation would be a major restoration project and require a great deal of study (and funding) to determine the proper course of action. Figure 2 is a plot of average AHI values for sampling sites in Quonochontaug Pond. Again, these values are averages of individual parameter AHI values at each site. The North of Bill s Island, East Basin Yacht Club, and Harmonic Cove Channel sites are all in the good AHI category. The Tidal Page Fall 2012 Page 10

11 The Harmonic Cove Buoy and Judge s Rock sites barely missed the good category, both with AHI scores of 64. All sites either remained about the same or improved since 2010; however, all sites had declined in 2010 relative to the 2009 results. The decline in AHI values from 2009 to 2010 is possibly a result of increased nitrogen loads to Quonochontaug Pond by intense rains at the end of March This increase in nitrogen resulted in a substantial increase in chlorophyll (growth of planktonic algae) which caused a decrease in the dissolved oxygen content of the pond s waters. When trend lines are added to the data (not shown here for clarity), all of the trend lines have a small positive slope except the trend line at the Harmonic Cove Channel site, which has a slope of negative essentially a flat trend line. Thus, looking at the years that these five sites have been sampled, the water quality appears to be remaining about the same or improving very slightly. That said, the degree of sedimentation of the pond from sand coming in through the breachway is of major concern to SPC. Sand coming through the breachway smothers bottom habitat and restricts circulation in the pond. Left unchecked, this situation could have a detrimental effect on water quality in the pond, especially in the western basin where replenishment from clean ocean water is already retarded (see article beginning on page 4 of The Tidal Page, Late Fall 2008) Water Monitoring Data are Online! Salt Ponds Coalition is pleased to announce that our 2011 water quality monitoring data are online! First and foremost, we sincerely thank our many intrepid pond watchers without their dedicated efforts every two weeks from mid-may through mid-october, on lovely mornings and also not-so-lovely mornings, we would not have this important long-term and thorough data record on our salt ponds. We also offer our deep gratitude to our generous members who support our water quality testing program by sponsoring sampling sites, which cost $600 per sampling site per year in laboratory fees. Salt Ponds Coalition is the only organization collecting these important data every year, year after year. Having a long-term dataset is critical to monitoring water quality trends in the ponds and spotting potential problems that may be brewing. Our database is extensive! Salt Ponds Coalition has two water quality databases: one containing older Pond Watcher data (almost 24,000 data points) collected from 1985 through 1994, and the other storing more recent Salt Ponds Coalitions data (over 29,000 data points) collected from Data collected during our current sampling season will be added to our database sometime next spring or summer. All of our data are available for viewing online at All of our water quality observations are recorded or analyzed either by the volunteer water quality monitor (dissolved oxygen, temperature, and Secchi depth data) or by the staff at the University of Rhode Island s Watershed Watch (URI WW) program (bacteria, chlorophylla, and nutrient samples). At URI WW, all data, including field observations, are entered into Excel spreadsheets and undergo quality assurance. Once URI sends the spreadsheets to Salt Ponds Coalition, they undergo even more quality assurance and are imported into a Microsoft Access database. Salt Ponds Coalition has developed database reporting software to automatically produce hundreds of PDF files which present our data. Each PDF file is a one page report with a table and a bar chart showing all data for a particular sampling parameter (dissolved oxygen, nitrate, ammonia, etc.) for a particular site (surface and deep water for some sites) for every year the site was monitored. Thus far, there are almost 1,300 of these files available online, not including the older Pond Watcher data! Anyone can access these reports by going to clicking on the Water Monitoring Data link on the left side of the home page, then scrolling down to agree to our data use terms and access the data. On the next page you will find two Google maps: the first is for accessing the older Pond Watcher data, and the second is for accessing the newer Salt Ponds Coalition data. Each marker on the maps represents a sampling location. Clicking on a marker displays links to the data reports. Salt Ponds Coalition is proud to make our data available for use by policy-makers, scientists, students, and of course, the public. With the continued support of our members, we look forward to continuing to build this valuable resource for everyone interested in the health of the ponds. Page 11 The Tidal Page Fall 2012

12 Salt Ponds Coalition PO Box 875 Charlestown, RI Please consider Salt Ponds Coalition in your annual giving Salt Ponds Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Gifts to SPC are tax-deductible. Please Help Us Help the Ponds 2012 memberships expire at the end of December. Please use this form to renew for 2013 and ask your friends and neighbors to become members, too. An SPC membership for the 2013 season helps fund protection of the ponds. Please enroll the individual/family at right at the following membership level $40+ Standard 2013 Membership $75+ Select Level $250+ Steward Level $500+ Patron Level Check here if you would like an SPC hat with your membership of $250+ Please consider a gift to SPC. Your donations to our 501(c)(3) organization are tax deductible. With your membership, you will receive future issues of the Tidal Page. Please make checks payable to Salt Ponds Coalition. Memberships run from January through December. Name: Permanent Address Town State Zip Summer Address Town State Zip Phone Donations are tax deductible and may help reduce the tax you owe. Please find enclosed my gift of $ I would like to sponsor a testing station for $600 Salt Ponds Coalition P.O. Box 875 Charlestown, RI We appreciate your continued generous support! $ Donation to the Aukerman Scholarship Fund Abby Aukerman Scholarship Fund Please help us fund this worthwhile scholarship, which helps support a deserving undergraduate student in marine studies at URI. If you would like to make a contribution to the scholarship fund, please use the form above and fill in the amount of your gift at left.