The
Queens River
is reputedly the cleanest river in the state of
Rhode Island. It is one of only a few cold, largely
forested streams left in our state, and as such
it is of extreme conservation interest to a number
of agencies working on land protection in Rhode
Island. Both The Nature Conservancy and Audubon
Society of Rhode Island own and manage large acreage
within this watershed.
Exeter,
RI has a wide variety of surface water
resources, in the form of wetlands, streams, and
lakes. Two lakes are used as recreational sites,
and there are many fishing opportunities in Exeter's
various rivers.
Click
on map to enlarge.
Surface water, although not a source
of drinking water directly for Exeter, is still connected
to the drinking water cycle. Just as rain filters through
to the groundwater, so does the water in lakes, ponds
and streams. Therefore, it is still important to guard
against water contaminants on the surface. For example,
a major source of surface water contamination is waste
water treatment facilities. Because of the presence
of a waste water treatment system on the Queens River
at the former Ladd school, the water quality downstream
was classified as B1.
There are several programs currently
in place in Exeter, RI dealing with the quality of the
town's surface water resources. Please click on the
following links for more information regarding these
programs:
