Introduction to Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay contains over 700 billion gallons of water that span a whopping 150 square miles. The watershed is home to thousands of species of plants, fish and other wildlife as well as more than two million residents. In addition, over ten million tourists visit the Bay each year. Its annual contribution to Rhode Island's economy totals billions of dollars, and its environmental and aesthetic value is priceless.

As an estuary - a place where land and sea waters mix - Narragansett Bay is both extremely productive and extremely vulnerable. Its health depends on nearly everything that happens in its vast watershed (about 2000 square miles, 60% in Massachusetts and 40% in Rhode Island).

As an estuary, a place where land and sea waters mix, Narragansett Bay is both extremely productive and extremely vulnerable. Its health depends on nearly everything that happens in its vast watershed (about 2000 square miles, 60% in Massachusetts and 40% in Rhode Island).

More Information Online

For Narragansett Bay and its challenges:

• Narragansett Bay Figures & Maps (NBEP)
• Narragansett Bay Issues (Save the Bay)
• 10 Things You Can Do To Improve Water Quality in RI (RIDEM)
• Narragansett Bay (NarrBay)
• Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC)
• URI Graduate School of Oceanography
• History of Narragansett Bay
• Narragansett Bay Water Quality: Status and Trends (RI DEM, 2000)
• Groups Working on the Watershed for Narragansett Bay (EPA)
• Rhode Island Sea Grant (URI Sea Grant)
• RI Bays, Rivers and Watersheds Coordination Team
• Providence River and Harbor Dredging Project (RI DEM)

For Contexts and Nearby Comparisons:

• Eyes on The Bay (MD Dept. of Natural Resources)
• Long Island Sound Study (LISS)
• Nutrient Pollution of Coastal Rivers, Bays, and Seas (Howarth et al., 2000)
• Ambient Water Quality Criteria For Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll for Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries (Chesapeake Bay Program, EPA)