Greenwich Bay Resources Management

A productive estuary taxed by pollution, Greenwich Bay has been the subject of significant attempts to address water quality and other issues. Research done as part of the Greenwich Bay Initiative, a collaborative effort among Rhode Island Sea Grant, the city of Warwick, and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, identified sources of pollution and analyzed physical processes taking place in the bay. Continued water quality issues and a desire to expand on the Greenwich Bay Initiative led to a call for a Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) administered by the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC).

A SAMP is designed to protect a complex natural resource that is part of a larger watershed ecosystem. It is built on government cooperation and community participation and is adopted into law. (See "Greenwich Bay SAMP Public Process" for more information on public participation.) SAMPS refine the state coastal program by taking a regional integrated approach in setting coastal management goals and policies, and are federally recognized upon state approval.

The Greenwich Bay SAMP describes the present status of the bay, characterizes its watershed, identifies sources of pollution, and recommends steps to help government work with communities to restore, protect, and balance uses of Greenwich Bay for this and future generations.

CRMC contracted with the URI Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant to develop the Greenwich Bay SAMP in coordination with Warwick, East Greenwich, government agencies, and community organizations. CRMC adopted the SAMP on May 10, 2005. To view a copy of the plan, visit the CRMC website.

Contact:

James Boyd
R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council
Oliver Stedman Government Center
4808 Tower Hill Rd., Suite 3
Wakefield, RI 02879
(401) 783-3370
jboyd@crmc.ri.gov

To join the Greenwich Bay listserv, contact Amber Neville at amber@gso.uri.edu. To view the listserv archives, go to http://pete.uri.edu/archives/greenwichbay.html.

The green area is the Greenwich Bay watershed.