Integrating state government for improved coastal water quality: Analysis of the Rhode island salt pond region

Abstract

The salt pond region in southern Rhode Island includes eight shallow estuaries that span across four municipalities and come under the jurisdiction of two state environmental agencies. The salt pond region is largely dependent on individual sewage disposal systems (ISDSs) for sewage treatment, which are loading nitrogen and fecal coliform bacteria into the salt ponds. Ambient water quality, aquatic vegetation, and shellfish closures are an indication that current water quality management by state and local managers is not effective. These inadequacies are a result of a management system that relies on site‐specific decisions to manage for watershed‐based issues. This article addresses the problem of watershed‐scale water quality management in the salt pond region by identifying three major institutional issues: the two principle authorities for water quality management in the salt pond watersheds do not have the same standards or measurements; the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) d...