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Torrential rains last month in Rhode Island led to widespread flooding, causing millions of dollars in property damage and leaving thousands homeless. The floodwaters also overwhelmed water treatment plants, spilling vast amounts of raw sewage into the rivers and streams that flow into Narragansett Bay. It sounds like the makings of an environmental nightmare, but in fact it’s just the opposite. To scientists’ delight, the sewage-laden floodwaters have caused a well-timed bloom of phytoplankton, the microscopic creatures that form the foundation of marine food chains. With more food available for fish, clams and other sea creatures, the bay’s fisheries industry is expected to benefit. The timing of the rains was fortuitous. In decades past, Narragansett Bay typically experienced a late winter/early spring algal bloom that fed creatures up and down the water column. But in recent years, the waters of Narragansett Bay have warmed greatly, interrupting this seasonal event. In particular, bottom-feeding fish like the flounder have suffered dramatic declines. The surge of freshwater and nutrient-rich sewage this spring, however, is mimicking the conditions of years past. Mark Berman, an oceanographer with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the flood seemed to have sent the bay back to its  normal state.

evidence of increasing precipitation caused by climate change when approving the TMDL, even though stormwater run-off has been identified as a significant source of phosphorous in the lake.

The trend is toward more rain and the rain is falling faster, Moore said. The changes are “raising questions about how we’re defining stormwater systems,” Moore said.