Water Quality Impacts on Macroalgae

A.K.A. Seaweed
Lesley Lambert
As you drive by the water, which in Rhode Island, is just
about everywhere, you experience a fresh, salty or briny
aroma. But not always. Some days the seaside breeze caries
a pungent smell of rotting fish or seaweed. The reasons for
this are mostly natural causes, but human influence tends to
exacerbate the problem.

What is that rotten smell?

After a storm, many Rhode Island beaches have piles of

seaweed along the shore. On a hot day, just a little breeze
can carry the smell for miles inland, never mind the noxious
stench right at the beach. So just what exactly is that smell?
As seaweed begins to decompose, the molecules of the proteins that make up its tissues are torn apart and recycled
into other compounds. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) a gas with
unpleasant odors that can be harmful to humans and pets in
high concentrations is a byproduct of the decomposition of
organic materials.
Decaying seaweed is not the only source of hydrogen sulfide. The gas is part of the natural environment, but certain
human activities produce it in much higher volumes. Many
industries such as petroleum refineries, paper and textile
mills, and food processing plants produce hydrogen sulfide
as a byproduct. We even produce it in our large intestines!
Social networking and review sites such as Yelp have shown
that the high concentration of seaweed on a beach impacts
the beach-going experience and thus the tourism industry.
Complaints of rotting seaweed on Rhode Island beaches have
increased over the years.
The reason there is so much seaweed washing up on our
shores can be traced back to the things we do on the land.
Discharge from wastewater treatment facilities and storm
drains eventually finds its way into the Bay and the nutrients
carried in these waters act as fertilizer to algae and seaweed.
The nutrients coming into the Bay from our rivers and storm
drains fertilize algae and cause it to bloom uncontrollably,
but not in the same, beautiful way your garden flowers.
Seaweed soaks up nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous in the water and it can grow very fast, rapidly
overwhelming shallow areas such as Greenwich Bay, Conimicut Point or the Seekonk River. When the tides wash mats
of seaweed up on the shore, sunlight bakes it on the outside
while sulfur-bacteria speed up decay from the inside, producing that smelly hydrogen sulfide gas.
The most common green seaweed we find here in Rhode
Island is sea lettuce (Ulva spp.) but there are many other species of green seaweed and even more that are red and brown.
While seaweed provides shelter and structure from predators

Narragansett Bay Journal

Sandy Point in Greenwich Bay is often covered in smelly seaweed that can
be several inches thick. Former intern NBEP, Rebecca Sacks, is perfoming
ground truthing to determine the species and total biomass of the seaweed
in this area Photo: NBJ.

for juvenile fish, dense mats can block sunlight and reduce
flow and mixing of waters.
Few animals feed or can even survive underneath dense
seaweed mats. Many of the essential bottom habitats for
invertebrates such as crabs, shellfish, shrimp and worms
become unsuitable in the summer as algae and seaweed
blanket the shallow areas. If these seaweed carpets are too
dense, these areas become less valuable as feeding grounds
to animals such as wading birds, fish, crabs and other predators. Furthermore, as the seaweed decomposes, the nutrients
locked up in their tissues are released back into the water,
starting the cycle all over again.
Since 2006 the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program has
been tracking the amount and species of macroalgae in the
western side of Narragansett Bay. Aerial photography from
monthly helicopter flights in the summer months allows us
to detect areas with high volumes of seaweed. Through a
specially designed plug in for a program called Image J, our
interns are able to quantify and map how much seaweed is in
the Bay and where. This effort is providing a baseline understanding of how much, what kind and where seaweed is.

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Summer 2012

Having this baseline knowledge will allow us

to track the changes and potential reduction
of the amount of seaweed as sewage treatment
plants upgrade their facilities to remove nutrients before discharging into the Bay.

State Response to Seaweed

The R.I. Department of Environmental

Management (R.I. DEM) is responsible for
investigating Bay-related environmental
problems and coordinating with cities and
towns to respond to issues relating to marine
debris, such as seaweed and dead fish, washing up on our shores, causing noxious odors
and elevated bacteria levels. In 2006 R.I. DEM
purchased a specially designed tractor to rake
up excess seaweed along beaches. This beach
cleaner, known as a Barber Surf Rake, drives
along the shoreline and removes the seaweed
and other debris that has collected above the The Barber Surf Rake is a tractor-towed mechanical rake that is capable of picking up
low tide line. The R.I. DEM Office of Emer- extremely fine debris from bits of seaweed to cigarette butts. Photo: R.I. DEM.
gency Response has teamed up with the Cities
of Warwick, Cranston and East Providence
collected by the local public works department.
to prevent seaweed-prone beaches such as Conimicut Point,
Extensive efforts by the Narragansett Bay Commission
Stillhouse Cove and Riverside Terrace from becoming (NBC) and other wastewater treatment facilities around the
hydrogen sulfide stink holes in the summer months. Once state to increase nutrient removal in sewage and decrease
the seaweed is removed, it is disposed of as yard waste by bacteria pollution by stormwater are beginning to payoff.
the towns Department of Public Works. Other beaches The NBC owns and operates the two largest wastewater
throughout the state also rake their beaches to keep them treatment facilities in the state, Fields Point and Bucklin
clean and seaweed free for the public to enjoy. The public Point, which discharge into the Providence and Seekonk
is also encouraged to collect seaweed in areas where their Rivers, respectively. In 2006, extensive upgrades focusequipment cannot reach and put it in yard waste bags to be ing on nutrient removal were completed at the Bucklin
Point Facility. The nutrient removal upgrades at the Fields
Point Facility are currently ongoing, as well as additional
upgrades at Bucklin Point. Both facilities are expected to
be complete by 2014. Furthermore, R.I. DEM is requiring
upgraded treatment to include nitrogen removal at 11 different wastewater treatment facilities throughout the state.
To address stormwater, the NBC instituted Phase I of the
combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement program, which
included the installation of a three-mile long tunnel 300 ft
underground to capture sewage contaminated stormwater.
Prior to the NBC CSO Tunnel, stormwater would enter the
sewage collection system and overwhelm the sewer system
in Providencecausing a mix of untreated sewage and
stormwater to be discharged to the urban rivers and the
Bay. Since the tunnel went on-line, over 4 billion gallons of
polluted water has been captured, treated and discharged
to the Baypreventing more than 94 thousand pounds of
nitrogen and 41 thousand pounds of heavy metals such as
iron, lead, copper, aluminum, and cyanide from polluting
our waters. NBCs CSO tunnel project cost $359 million,
The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Project, also known as the biggest
which may seem like a large investment, but it has made a
project you will never see is a three-plus-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter
tunnel that runs 250 feet below the city of Providence. Photo: NBC.

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Summer 2012

real difference in cleaning waters that were, just a generation ago, written off as permanently polluted.
Because stormwater plays such a large role in the transport of pollution to our rivers and oceans, state agencies have
developed the R.I. Stormwater Manual (2010) to aid towns
and municipalities in developing and retrofitting infrastructure that will prevent pollution and degradation of our
waterways. Decreasing these sources of pollution will greatly
reduce the amount of beach and shellfish closures and the
amount of seaweed that beach-goers must paddle through.
There are other sources of pollution we cannot easily measure or regulate, but still contribute to the degradation of
our local waterways. This is the pollution that comes from
our individual activities. Cesspools, septic systems, overfertilized yards and farms, and lazy pet owners who leave
behind pet waste can all release bacteria and excess nutrients
and other chemicals into the ground and nearby streams and
pondspolluting our waterways (and sometimes our drinking water)with all eventually reaching the Bay.

cleaners and personal care products are also pollutants

harmful to marine life. And of course trash, such as plastic
bags, cans, bottles and food wrappers litter our environment
and are often mistaken for food by wildlife. Trash should
always be disposed of in the proper receptacle to preserve the
beauty, health and integrity of our environment. Remember,
everything you do on land can impact the nearest waterway,
and in Rhode Island, it all finds its way to the Bay.
~Lesley Lambert is the digital communications mangaer for NBEP.

What Can You Do?

The things you do in your backyard affect the environment. If you live in Rhode Island, chances are, you dont live
more than five miles from a body of water that eventually
flows into Narragansett Bay.
Fertilizing your lawn can affect the Bay if you are doing
it on a frequent basis or if it rains shortly after you apply
it. Studies have shown that fertilizers are only needed to
jump-start the growing cycleover-fertilizing will result
in fighting weeds and taxing your lawnmower more than
the average gardener. There are other ways of keeping your
garden and yard vibrant and healthy without using excessive fertilizers. Many varieties of native plants have thrived
in New England for centuries and do not require extra care
in the way of fertilizers or water.
If you do need to fertilize, take the time to learn about
your nearest waterway and find a fertilizer that impacts it
the least. Freshwater systems are phosphorous-limiting,
meaning they require more phosphorous to maintain a balance, while saltwater systems are nitrogen limiting. There
are many all-natural fertilizers that will not impact the
environment but still enhance the growth of your plants.
For the adventuresome gardener, seaweed can actually be
a great fertilizer! Seaweed is rich in nutrients and minerals essential to plant growth. The Native Americans used it
and taught the colonials about its significance. In fact, the
R.I. constitution goes so far as to stipulate citizen rights of
way to the shoreline, specifically for access to collect seaweed. It can be used to make a liquid fertilizer or dried and
mixed into the soil. There are many recipes and how-to
videos online that can help you pick the best method for
your garden. Seaweed fertilizer is all natural, easy to use,
and you can find it for free at the nearest beach!
It may go without saying, but motor fluids, household

Narragansett Bay Journal

Seaweed can be used in your garden as fertilizer and mulch as shown here
in FarmTinas Garden. Photo: Martina Fugazzotto.

Go Deeper!
Before you pack up the car for a beach day, be sure to
check on the Department of Healths Beach Closures and
Advisories website www.ribeaches.org/closures.
Rhode Islanders can also listen to updates on the overall
health of the Bay on Bay Line (401) 222-8888, DEMs
24-hour telephone recorded information service.
If you suspect seaweed is causing noxious odors in
your neighborhood call DEMs Office of Compliance and
Inspections at 222-1360 (weekdays) or after hours/
weekends at 222-3070.
The NBC has a wealth of information on their many
programs, such as the CSO Abatement Program, Wind
Turbine Project and their extensive water quality monitoring of the Upper Bay www.narrabay.com and
snapshot.narrabay.com.
Download the RI Stormwater Design and Installation
Manual.
The URI Outreach Center is a great resource for sustainable agriculture and offers a wide variety of workshops,
training and information on gardening in Rhode Island.
www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc/index.

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Summer 2012