NEWPORT, R.I. – Is it possible to be surrounded by water, yet somehow take it for granted? Spend some time with members of the Aquidneck Island Watershed Council, and you might just have to rethink your perception of what water means to Aquidneck Island.
After all, when you think of water, chances are you’re thinking about the bay; the backdrop for life on Aquidneck Island and the defining feature of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth. And while the bay and Rhode Island Sound are invaluable pieces to our way of life, so too are the small streams, ponds, and reservoirs that quench the thirst of this densely populated island.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Aquidneck Island Watershed Council along with Salve Regina University will host an interactive conference designed to educate and engage the public on local watershed issues.
Taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at O’Hare Academic Center, participants of all ages are encouraged to bring water samples from local streams, brooks or creeks for free testing by Salve Regina University students. The goal, according to organizers, is to bring an awareness to the importance of protecting the island’s fresh water supply, not only for the quality of our drinking water, but for the health of the bay as well.
“We live on a small island with almost 70,000 people. All the rain water that falls down is what we drink. That’s our water and we have to protect it,” says Dr. Jameson Chace, prof. of biology at Salve Regina University. “The water that runs off our homes, off our driveways, that we flush down, goes to our local bays and estuaries and places we like to recreate.”
Dubbed the Citizen Scientist program, conference attendees who bring in water samples will be contributing to a program which Chace hopes will dovetail with other local testing programs including those from Clean Ocean Access and the University of Rhode Island to provide a clearer picture of the water quality on and around Aquidneck Island.
Citizen Scientists are asked to bring in a water sample from a local stream, pond, or well – collected that day – in a sealed jar. Students from Salve Regina on site will then test the samples for general water quality. After several years, program organizers say they’ll be able to track the water quality of the island – for better or worse.
In addition to the Citizen Scientist program, other conference activities will include a blind tasting of water from different parts of the state, including bottled waters, and a moderated panel discussion between representatives of the Public Works departments of Portsmouth, Middletown and Newport. Margherita Pryor, of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will give the keynote address.
Brief presentations will also be given by the following experts: Jim Marshall and Peter Fagan, executive directors of the AIWC; Sister Jane Gerety, president of Salve Regina University; Tina Dolen, director of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission; Ted Clement, executive director, Aquidneck Island Land Trust; John Torgan, Baykeeper, Save the Bay; David McLaughlin of Clean Ocean Access; and Meg Kerr, director of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program.
Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. with the keynote address slated to begin at 9:50 a.m.
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Newport, RI
