Officials from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management believe a sheen spotted on the Barrington River and in Hundred Acre Cove was likely pollen and naturally occurring bubbles. 

On Tuesday, March 21, Barrington Police called DEM after receiving reports of a trail of debris on the river and in the cove. 

DEM responded and deployed a drone to conduct an aerial survey. According to DEM Chief Public Affairs Officer Michael Healey, the initial search did not find evidence of trash or debris. 

“At 9:24 a.m., our Division of Law Enforcement dispatcher spoke with the superintendent of the Warren wastewater treatment facility who happened to be at the effluent end of the plant at the time of the call,” Healey said. “He said the effluent looked ‘clear’ and all operations at the plant were normal. Our inspectors consulted with scientists from the DEM Office of Water Resources, which sent a shellfish monitoring crew out in a boat a little south of this area and they indicated that they didn’t see anything unusual. We cleared the site at 11:35 a.m.”

Healey said DEM officials believe the sheen consisted of pollen flecked with naturally occurring bubbles that were formed at a turbulent windy offshore site. He said the effluent then came into the river and cove with the tide. 

“We had a very mild winter and are having an early spring,” Healey said.