The Buzz
ON THE BAY
By Antonia Ayres-Brown, Newport Bureau Reporter for The Public’s Radio
In Partnership with The Public’s Radio • ThePublicsRadio.org
As blue-green algae threatens RI waters, Newport neighbors work to heal a troubled pond Almy Pond in Newport is among the unhealthiest bodies of water in Rhode Island, plagued by blue-green algae that makes the pond dangerous for people and pets. But a local group hopes to change that with an ambitious strategy to tackle annual algae blooms.
Nearly every week, Jim Chace samples the water at the outlet site where Almy Pond flows out toward Bailey’s Beach, a private beach club in Newport
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The Bay • August 2021
We walked to an outlet site where water trickles out of the pond. Chace unzipped his bag and took out several bottles, which he then carefully filled with water from the meager stream. Dissolved oxygen is an important test, since algae blooms can lead to lower oxygen levels, Chace said. He took the sample and added a chemical that’s supposed to react with oxygen to turn the water a dark yellow. But the color barely changed. “That’s crazy. So normally, this is like a deep amber,” he said. “I mean, there may be really no oxygen, essentially, measurable in that water.”
Blue-green algae blooms typically happen later in the summer, when temperatures are warmer. So it’s not a good sign to measure such low oxygen levels so early in the season, Chace said. “Never have I seen it like this,” he said, examining the dissolved oxygen sample. “I’ve sampled for so many years in so many ponds around Aquidneck Island. At this point, this will always have some color.” This year, Almy Pond was the first body of water in Rhode Island to receive a health advisory from the state, warning the public to avoid contact because of blue-green algae.
Photo by Antonia Ayres-Brown
On the day I met Dr. Jim Chace at Almy Pond, he warned me not to get too close to the water. The 50-acre pond in Newport was already experiencing a significant cyanobacteria bloom, also known as blue-green algae, which can release harmful toxins. The water was greyish green, like pea soup. Chace is a biologist and professor at Salve Regina University in Newport. He was there to test the water, as he does nearly every week, for various markers of the pond’s health: dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, E. coli, and more.
