May 2026 Riverkeeper Report

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Homestead Gardens last Thursday where we unveiled our 2025 River Report Card for the South, West, and Rhode Rivers. If you were able to join us, please take this short event survey to provide us with valuable feedback on how to make this event and the data presented better every year.

Based on data collected during the 2025 monitoring season,the South River earned a score of 52%, the West River earned 53%, and the Rhode River earned 49%, giving each river an overall grade of C. This marks our second year of monitoring nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll a (algae) alongside our long-running clarity and dissolved oxygen monitoring efforts. While 2025 conditions were generally worse than 2024, especially in many upriver tributaries, our long-term data still shows slow improvement in clarity and oxygen over time, which is good news for aquatic life. 

One of the clearest findings in this year’s report was the impact of phosphorus pollution. Increased phosphorus concentrations can cause higher algae levels, reduced water clarity, and declining oxygen conditions at the bottom of the rivers. Phosphorus often enters our waterways through erosion and polluted stormwater from developed areas. The South River saw some of the most significant declines in the watershed, particularly in upper tributaries including Beards, Broad, and Gingerville Creeks. Beards Creek received the watershed’s lowest phosphorus score with an F (14/100). Despite these declines, nitrogen conditions improved overall in the South River, increasing from a B- to a B. The West River maintained its C grade while showing slight improvements in dissolved oxygen and nitrogen. Overall, the West outperformed the South and Rhode Rivers in phosphorus, algae, and oxygen scores. The Rhode River also received a C and experienced widespread declines across nearly every monitoring station, especially in headwater areas where phosphorus and clarity scores dropped significantly. Conditions near the mouth of the river continued to outperform upriver tributaries.

You can do a deep dive on the report card and learn more about all of our water quality monitoring sites HERE. Be sure to explore our data storymap, which provides even more detail on how we test and includes an interactive data map. 

May not only marks the release of our Report Card but also brings the beginning of summer, which means the start of our bacteria monitoring program. This year we have 30 sites on the weekly monitoring list. Be sure to check SwimGuide.org and our social media pages every Friday afternoon for testing results. Our first day of sampling is Thursday, May 28th, Memorial Day weekend. 

Finally! River season is here! See you on the river, 

Elle Bassett

South, West, and Rhode Riverkeeper