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URI researcher: Little Compton groundwater broadly stable but coastal wells show seasonal salinity spikes
Summary
A University of Rhode Island study of private wells in Little Compton found townwide groundwater largely within acceptable salinity ranges but identified coastal wells with strong seasonal salinity increases; the researcher recommended annual monitoring, broader contaminant testing and planning for emergency water supplies.
A University of Rhode Island researcher told the Little Compton Town Council that townwide groundwater salinity has been largely stable in recent years but that individual coastal wells show strong seasonal spikes tied to summer water use and proximity to the ocean.
Dr. Thomas Boving, a URI professor of environmental hydrogeology, said the study began in February 2019 and relied on volunteer sampling of roughly 60 private wells — "about 10% of all households" in Little Compton. The team supplemented those measurements with historical records going back to 1972 and used electric conductivity (EC) meters as a low-cost proxy for salinity and total dissolved solids.
Boving said most sampled wells were within drinking-water ranges, but wells very close to the shore recorded EC values "in the thousands," a level he described as "water you don't want to drink." He cited a well near Warren's Point, which lies within roughly 100 feet of the ocean, as an example of seasonal salinization that produces near-ocean composition during parts of the year. By contrast, a well at the Sakonnet Golf Course about 1,500 feet from the coast showed only a modest increase in conductivity with depth and remained in an acceptable range.
The study also found that newer wells tend to be drilled deeper than older wells, a factor that can increase the likelihood of drawing in saline water. Boving noted other possible local salt sources — leaking septic systems, road salt and fertilizer — and cautioned against attributing every isolated high-salinity result to ocean intrusion without site-specific investigation.
On recommendations, Boving urged the town to keep the volunteer testing program going and to continue at least annual groundwater sampling. He also recommended expanding routine testing to include bacterial indicators such as total coliform and E. coli, and nitrate, to detect septic influence. For long-term resilience he suggested planning for emergency water supply options or temporary filtration (for example, portable reverse-osmosis systems) and exploring centralized wastewater treatment as a long-term alternative.
Anya Raider Wallach, chair of the Conservation Commission, told the council the study materials would be posted publicly: "We haven't posted it to the website. We're going to do that after tonight's meeting." Boving said drought and rising sea levels make monitoring and planning pressing priorities because both can increase the risk of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers.
The presentation prompted questions from councilors and residents; no formal council action was taken at the meeting beyond receiving the report. The Conservation Commission and URI researchers encouraged residents to continue granting access for voluntary sampling to sustain the monitoring program.
