CM, that makes a lot of sense. Anytime you have a creek like Silver Creek dumping into a body of water that is enclosed like Bristol Harbor, this type of pollution will happen. If you take into account all of the neighborhoods and properties who's groundwater flows into that creek, including Bristol Golf Course, Mt. Hope, Guiteras and the fields that are being maintained with fertilizer and the like, pollution will happen. Animal waste from pets and animals living in and around the creek would contribute as well. The testing results should list out what they are finding.
From large public properties and small residential properties, along with the runoff from large parking lots and roadways into a creek will do this. Water doesn't flow enough through the creek, and Bristol Harbor only has the tides to move water in and out, not a constant current running through.
The City of Newport has done some mitigation of a similar issue by the former Atlantic Beach Club with UV treatment. Not sure if that's something that would make sense for Bristol, but it may be worth looking into.
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