Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management updates water quality list

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEP) updated its List of Impaired Waters on April 1 and will hold a public workshop on Thursday.

The List of Impaired Waters determines which of the state’s surface waters do not meet quality standards according to total maximum daily load studies, which are carried out the DEM’s Office of Water Resources in accordance with the federal Clean Water Act.

The quality of Rhode Island’s surface waters is determined using available monitoring data, which is gauged against the state’s quality criteria for designating whether the water is safe for drinking, swimming and supporting aquatic life and edible fish and shellfish. The state’s Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report aggregates the findings and documents the overall quality of Rhode Island’s waters as well as providing information on each body of water, including lakes, rivers and estuarine waters.

DEM representatives will explain how the state’s surface waters are assessed, the data that is used to assess those waters and the updates to the list of impaired waters at the workshop in Providence on Thursday.