DEM'S 24-HOUR BAY LINE OPEN FOR SEASON

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that its seasonal 24-hour Bay Line telephone information line is now open.

The Bay Line number, 222-8888, is toll-free within the state.

Bay Line provides Rhode Islanders with a central telephone number to leave a recorded message about any sign of Bay-related environmental problems throughout the summer season for appropriate follow-up. It also offers updates on the overall health of the Bay, and referral numbers for information about any current restrictions on beaches or fishing. Callers may also pose questions about the Bay.

Reports of Bay conditions, updated weekly on Bay Line, are compiled from data provided by a network of monitoring stations in the Bay that monitor oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH levels, and, in some cases, water clarity and the presence of algae blooms. The monitoring data is supplemented by field observations made by DEM personnel.

Bay Line's first update of the season, recorded on Friday, May 19, states that the dissolved oxygen monitoring team has been busy deploying its monitoring equipment this spring. Equipment was recently installed at the Poppasquash, Mt. View, Conimicut, and North Prudence buoy locations, and maintenance and testing is being performed on the Greenwich Bay and Mt Hope Bay buoys. Scientific instruments of this nature require some set up time. Barring any major problems we expect to see reportable data by Memorial Day weekend. The update also noted that the shellfish transplants of the past two weeks were successful; an abundance of juvenile pollock and haddock have been noted in Narragansett Bay and the coastal ponds; and the average water temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. On a sad note, a dead seal was found at Touisset Point in Warren on May 11. Mystic Aquarium was notified.

The intent of Bay Line is to provide an effective means for exchanging Bay-related information between the public and the agencies charged with monitoring and protecting the Bay. For instance, the line can be used to provide DEM with early warnings about emerging issues, such as algae blooms, that might serve as precursors to low oxygen events and fish kills.

Bay Line, now in its third year, is an integral part of a series of initiatives undertaken at the behest of Governor Donald Carcieri to protect Narragansett Bay as the result of the fish kills and many beach closures experienced during the summer of 2003.

DEM officials note that Bay Line proved to be a success from the start. It has provided an effective and centralized means for information exchange; thanks to the regular reports received from people who live near, recreate on, or work on the water, DEM has been provided with timely snapshots of Bay conditions. Their eyes, ears, and, sometimes, noses, coupled with increased scientific monitoring, have allowed the Department to understand and better respond to identified problems.

Last year, Bay Line received 35 messages, and many other callers listened to the weekly updates on Bay conditions. The bulk of complaint calls concerned odors and dead seaweed in the Stillhouse Cove area of Cranston and the Conimicut area of Warwick, as well as the Riverside Terrace section of East Providence. Emergency response crews responded to odor complaints, tested for hydrogen sulfide, and, with the help of municipal staff from the City of Cranston and the City of Warwick respectively, removed decaying seaweed from a portion of Stillhouse Cove and from the Conimicut shoreline.

The weekly Bay Line reports, as well as additional Bay-related information, can also be found on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "BART" on the "Timely Topics" Section of the front page.