PORTSMOUTH, RI: State and federal officials are launching a first-of-its-kind study in Rhode Island to track how toxic “forever chemicals” build up in stocked trout, prompting a temporary fishing closure at a Portsmouth pond.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Department of Health announced the joint effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Roger Williams University and the Town of Portsmouth.
The study will run from May 4 through July 2 at Upper Melville Pond, also known as Thurston Gray Pond. Fishing will be prohibited there during that period to protect the research. Nearby Lower Melville Pond will remain open but will not be stocked with trout.
Officials said the timing avoids disrupting opening day of trout season, though the project was pushed back by the historic Blizzard of ’26.
Upper and Lower Melville ponds were originally built by the U.S. Navy as drinking water reservoirs for Naval Station Newport. They sit near the former Melville Fuel Defense Support Point, where firefighting foam containing PFAS was used. Prior sampling has found elevated levels of the chemicals in both ponds.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and have been linked to potential health risks.
Researchers will track how quickly PFAS accumulates in fish tissue by anesthetizing and fin-clipping stocked trout, then collecting samples every two weeks. The fish, along with water and sediment samples, will be analyzed in labs at Roger Williams University and the EPA.
Results are expected next year and could help guide efforts to reduce PFAS exposure. Officials said the study is funded by DEM and RIDOH at no cost to the Town of Portsmouth.
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