Data
Rhode Island Department of Health: Beach closure data (for freshwater and saltwater beaches)
In 2016, there were:
- 11 freshwater beach closure days
- 2 freshwater beach closure events
- 1 freshwater beach closed to swimming
Since 2011, there have been only 29 freshwater beach closure days, approximately 5 per year, whereas in 2000-2010, there were about 45 beach closure days per year. This marks a drastic decline in beach closures, which is likely indicative of effective water quality management strategies.
| Year | Annual Number of Closure Days |
Inches of Rainfall |
| 2000 | 19 | 4.93 |
| 2001 | 18 | 13.32 |
| 2002 | 19 | 6.65 |
| 2003 | 73 | 16.34 |
| 2004 | 47 | 11.04 |
| 2005 | 11 | 6.24 |
| 2006 | 90 | 15.54 |
| 2007 | 21 | 8.18 |
| 2008 | 63 | 9.64 |
| 2009 | 61 | 17.24 |
| 2010 | 70 | 13.42 |
| 2011 | 4 | 14.8 |
| 2012 | 4 | 15 |
| 2013 | 6 | 20.42 |
| 2014 | 4 | 6.8 |
| 2015 | 0 | 13.65 |
| 2016 | 11 | 9.72 |
Improving Lincoln Woods State Park
Since 2000, the freshwater beach at Lincoln Woods State Park has been closed 12 times for a total of 25 days, making it one of the most frequently closed freshwater beaches in the state. A recent project may help with the local water quality issues. In 2015, the state broke ground on a new beach pavilion at the State Park, which opened in May 2017. This project includes a parking lot made of pervious pavement—pervious surfaces allow stormwater to pass through the surface to the soil below where contaminants are filtered out of the stormwater rather than running straight into a water body or storm drain. Another major benefit of the pavilion is that it will be connected to the local sewer system, so waste will be treated by the wastewater treatment plant rather than by an onsite septic system, reducing the risks of water contamination. For more information, see this press release on the RI DEM website.
