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July 10, 2007

Averting sea-lettuce stink at Conimicut Beach

WARWICK -- Today comes word that state environmental staffers will go on P.U.! patrol at Conimicut Beach tomorrow.

Actually, it's more like a preemptive P.U.! strike. Department of Environmental officials will remove and get rid of of sea lettuce that has washed ashore on the beach -- before it has time to decompose and emit a foul smell.

As long as the sea lettuce is green, as it is now, the DEM says the stink can be avoided if the stuff is taken away.

It all starts at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Symonds and Shawoment Avenues in what the DEM in governmental parlance calls "part of an ongoing operation to prevent hydrogen sulfide odors in the Conimicut area."

Staff from DEM's Office of Emergency Response will drive a beach cleaner along the shore and remove the sea lettuce. The Warwick Department of Public Works will dispose of the material.

Sea lettuce, or Ulva lactuca, is green algae that lives near and below the low tide mark. When it becomes stranded on the shore, it can form large mats. As these mats decay they can produce a foul, rotten egg odor. Once the sea lettuce begins to decompose, it becomes gelatinous and is nearly impossible to remove. There is little that can be done to eliminate the foul odors.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

"The cooperative agreement between DEM and the City of Warwick is an example of how agencies can work together to avert a potential odor problem from occurring", the DEM news release said.

A similar cleanup was scheduled last summer.

The DEM encourages other waterfront communities to take similar steps.

Waterfront property owners, neighborhood associations and civic groups can also help keep the waterfront "fresh and odor-free" by removing sea lettuce in areas that DEM and the City of Warwick cannot get to with its equipment.

When the tides leave sea lettuce along the waterfront, Warwick residents can use a rake and gloves to gather it up and deposit it in yard waste bags. Homeowners should put the filled bags out with the trash for pick up.

For larger pickups, call the Warwick Department of Public Works at 738-2000, ext. 6517, in advance.

Extra: Find out more about algae in the Narragansett Bay from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Permalink

July 10, 2007

Averting sea-lettuce stink at Conimicut Beach

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