Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Like any good Rhode Islander, I love to hang out at the beach in the summer. This year though, I’ve noticed that beaches have been closed more than I’m used to. 

To find out more, we had Will Malloy and Meg Talikoff from our Possibly Team look into it. 

Will Malloy: Hi, Megan! 

Meg Talikoff: Hello! 

Megan Hall: So, am I right? Have the beaches been closed more often this year?

Will Malloy: Yes, it’s not your imagination. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, this year, we had more closure days in June and July than in the entire season last year. 

Megan Hall: But why? 

Will Malloy: To find out, we talked to Dr. Carol Thornber

Dr. Carol Thornber: I’m a professor at the University of Rhode Island in the Department of Natural Resources Science. And my research focuses on coastal ecosystems and climate change.

Meg Talikoff: Carol says, when a beach is closed

Dr. Carol Thornber: It can be due to bacterial levels being too high, which we will typically see more often after large rainstorms … And, you know, it’s been a rainy summer here.

Megan Hall: Wait, so when the beach is closed, it’s because it rained too much? 

Will Malloy: When lots of rain falls very quickly, it can overwhelm our sewer system, so everything gets dumped directly into the bay, without getting treated. 

Meg Talikoff: That includes whatever is on our lawns and streets – like fertilizers and pet waste. 

Megan Hall: Gross! 

Will Malloy: Seriously! And all that contaminated water ends up at the beach, which can make it unsafe to swim.

Meg Talikoff: This summer in particular, we’ve had lots of heavy rain. 

Dr. Carol Thornber: And one of our general predictions is that as climate change is occurring in the northeast, we are going to see more often summers that are … rainier. 

Megan Hall: Bummer! I thought hotter summers meant more beach days!

Will Malloy: Well, luckily, Rhode Island has been working hard in the past 20 years to improve our stormwater management systems. 

Dr. Carol Thornber: there are several phases of stormwater system improvements that have been occurring. … each one of these phases addresses particular parts of our overall sewage and stormwater management of what’s flowing into Narragansett Bay… 

Megan Hall: So, over time, we’ll see fewer of these beach closures?

Will Malloy: Yes and no…We have already seen big improvements in water quality in the bay.. if we want to keep up with climate change, there’s a lot more to do.  

Megan Hall: Like what? 

Meg Talikoff: On a local level, we can have fewer paved surfaces or make them out of materials that let water seep into the ground instead of the sewers. 

Will Malloy: That reduces the amount of water in the system, which means our treatment plants can keep up. 

Meg Talikoff: You can also help out at home by being more thoughtful about how you use fertilizer.

Dr. Carol Thornber: So if you know there’s a big rainstorm coming tomorrow, maybe you don’t fertilize your lawn today, maybe you fertilize it after the rainstorm has passed. 

Will Malloy: Or, if you want to take it up a notch, get rid of your lawn and replace it with plants that don’t need fertilizer.

Megan Hall: So, what’s the take-away here?

Meg Talikoff: When it rains a lot, there is too much storm water for our sewage treatment plant to keep up with, so untreated water mixes into the bay and makes it unsafe to swim. 

Will Malloy: Thanks to climate change, it’s only going to get rainier, but there are plenty of things we can do to keep our beaches safe and swimmable. 

Meg Talikoff: Regardless, keep an eye out for beach closures, especially after rainstorms, to keep yourself, your loved ones, and your pets safe and healthy!

Megan Hall: Thanks Will and Meg! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio, Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.

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