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Greenwich Bay
is an estuary—a semi-enclosed inlet of the sea in which seawater
is diluted with fresh water. It contains five protected coves with five
square miles of shallow waterand is embraced by a 26-square-mile watershed.
Greenwich Bay is a highly productive estuary that has provided people
with food, shelter, transportation, trade, and recreational opportunities
for centuries. However, the impacts of land uses in bordering Warwick
and East Greenwich, and, to a smaller degree, West Warwick, have led to
a serious water quality decline in the bay. 
Originally launched in 1996, this website was created 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 to
determine specific means to restore water quality in Greenwich Bay.
The unique attributes and small size of Greenwich Bay make it an interesting case study in estuarine ecology, land-use impacts, and water quality. Newly updated in 2003, this site looks at the major issues facing Greenwich Bay and the work being done to address them, and provides information about the bay and its ecosystem.
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Rhode
Island Sea Grant
Communications Office University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Graduate School of Oceanography Narragansett, RI 02882 |