Physical, compliance, and capital-execution pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
States / Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Explore Rhode Island drinking-water system scores, stress signals, infrastructure risk, and statewide market context across 29 scored service markets serving approximately 1.0 million people. This state profile highlights what is happening and why it matters using water-system, fiscal, capital, and signal context.
Rhode Island has an average MISI infrastructure stress score of 26.3/100 in the Watch band as of 2026-05-19. Public records summarize recent drinking-water violations, PFAS monitoring records, lead and copper context, and source-water mix across 29 covered systems. Updated May 2026.
National context
States sized by scored-market count. Color reflects average stress band.
29Markets scored
26.3Headline composite
~1.0MPop. served
143Active signals
Band distribution (MISI)
State headline composite
Component of current headline composite
Affordability, demand-base, and parent-government fiscal pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
Staleness, disclosure freshness, and reporting-visibility effects reflected in the blended headline composite.
Pawtucket-City of38.7watchProvidence-City of38.3watchNorth Kingstown Town of37.6watchWoonsocket Water Department36.7watchUnited Water Rhode Island34.2watchNaval Station, Newport33.3watchUniversity of Rhode Island33.2watchJohnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End32.0watchWesterly Water Department31.7watchNarragansett Water Dept.-North End31.7watchNarragansett Water System-Point Judith31.6watchSouth Kingstown-South Shore29.7watchCumberland, Town of28.1watchEast Smithfield Water District26.6watchGreenville Water District26.6watchEast Providence-City of26.1watchBlock Island Water Company25.7watchSmithfield Water Supply Board24.0watchKingston Water District23.7watchWarwick-City of23.0watchBristol County Water Authority22.1watchNewport-City of21.9watchPascoag Utility District, Water Division21.2watchPortsmouth Water & Fire District19.9stableLincoln Water Commission19.1stableKent County Water Authority19.1stableQuonset Business Park11.2stableCentre of New England Boulevard11.2stableNorth Tiverton Fire District4.0stablePawtucket-City of38.7watchProvidence-City of38.3watchNorth Kingstown Town of37.6watchWoonsocket Water Department36.7watchUnited Water Rhode Island34.2watchNaval Station, Newport33.3watchUniversity of Rhode Island33.2watchJohnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End32.0watchWesterly Water Department31.7watchNarragansett Water Dept.-North End31.7watchNarragansett Water System-Point Judith31.6watchSouth Kingstown-South Shore29.7watchCumberland, Town of28.1watchEast Smithfield Water District26.6watchGreenville Water District26.6watchEast Providence-City of26.1watchBlock Island Water Company25.7watchSmithfield Water Supply Board24.0watchKingston Water District23.7watchWarwick-City of23.0watchBristol County Water Authority22.1watchNewport-City of21.9watchPascoag Utility District, Water Division21.2watchPortsmouth Water & Fire District19.9stableLincoln Water Commission19.1stableKent County Water Authority19.1stableQuonset Business Park11.2stableCentre of New England Boulevard11.2stableNorth Tiverton Fire District4.0stable
State interpretation guide
How to read Rhode Island headline composite
Plain-language summary
Rhode Island currently shows an average MISI headline composite of 26.3 versus a national average of 25.0. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
Why this page stands out
- 29 scored systems are included in this state view, with explicit confidence and source-backed context.
- State posture is benchmarked against national averages, not evaluated in isolation.
- Top system links below connect state-level findings directly to profile-level diagnostics.
What to do next
- Review the executive context to understand the state-level pressure pattern.
- Open top system profiles to inspect what is actually driving stress at market level.
- Use Track to monitor changes in high-stress systems over time.
Public record layer
Statewide Water Quality Context
Stored public-record context for recent drinking-water violations, contaminant monitoring, and source-water mix across covered systems. This is not a tap-water safety determination and does not change the MISI score.
Systems with recent violations
15 of 29Systems with recent public violation rows.Source-water mix29 systems
- Surface water17
- Groundwater12
- Purchased water0
- Mixed source0
- Not stored0
Latest identity snapshot: Dec 31, 2025
Coverage
- Violation, enforcement, and compliance-burden counts use the recent 3 years window for dated stored records.
- Drinking-water identity snapshots are stored for 28 of 29 included scored systems.
- PFAS monitoring summary records are stored for 25 of 29 included systems; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- Lead and copper summary records are stored for 28 of 29 included systems; missing records are not treated as absence of lead/copper context.
Water quality questionsDefinitions and public-record context
- How many covered systems in Rhode Island have recent recorded drinking-water violations?
- Stored public records show 15 covered systems with recent drinking-water violations, with 194 recorded violations across 29 covered systems in the recent 3 years window.
- How does Munimetric summarize PFAS public-record context in Rhode Island?
- Stored contaminant-monitoring summaries are present for 25 covered systems; 13 systems have PFAS detection context in this state summary.
- How does Munimetric summarize lead & copper context in Rhode Island?
- Stored lead & copper summaries are present for 28 covered systems; 22 systems have violation or action-level context in this state summary.
- What source-water types are represented across covered Rhode Island systems?
- Stored identity records group covered Rhode Island systems by source-water type: Surface water: 17, Groundwater: 12.
- Where can I find official drinking-water records for Rhode Island?
- The Official records drawer lists Public drinking-water profile, Contaminant monitoring records links where currently available for Rhode Island.
- Is this a real-time statewide tap-water condition rating?
- No. This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. Munimetric summarizes stored public-record context for research and navigation, and this layer does not change MISI.
Official records
- Public drinking-water profileEPA ECHO: Federal drinking-water dashboard and public-record search entry point.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: Federal contaminant-monitoring program reference and public data entry point.
Methodology/source notes
- Methodology/source notesDisplayed from stored public drinking-water records and official program references. This layer does not change MISI.
- Enforcement historyEPA ECHO / SDWIS: Violation and enforcement counts are aggregated from stored public compliance records across covered systems.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: PFAS context uses stored contaminant-monitoring summaries where available; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- State drinking-water programOfficial link not currently stored for this state program mapping.
Top recent compliance-burden systemsRecent 3 years
| System | Population | Source water | Recent violations | Recent enforcement | Public-record flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston Water DistrictRI1858421 | 3,968 | Groundwater | 78 | 20 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records |
| Westerly Water DepartmentRI1559512 | 35,298 | Groundwater | 44 | 28 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Block Island Water CompanyRI1858430 | 9,999 | Groundwater | 24 | 10 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, lead/copper context |
| Newport-City OfRI1592010 | 42,155 | Surface water | 6 | 22 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Cne - New London Turnpike Entry PointRI2980453 | 9,999 | Groundwater | 6 | 10 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures |
| Veolia Water Wakefield Rhode Island IncRI1615624 | 22,347 | Groundwater | 5 | 22 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, lead/copper context |
| Narragansett Water System-Point JudithRI1858428 | 8,210 | Groundwater | 5 | 12 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, lead/copper context |
| Portsmouth Water & Fire DistrictRI1592022 | 17,090 | Surface water | 4 | 24 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, lead/copper context |
This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. For current advisories or health guidance, consult the utility or state drinking-water program.
Executive context
What This Page Shows
29 of the community drinking-water systems in Rhode Island are currently scored. Analytics below are calculated from this covered subset only. Covered systems serve approximately 1.0M people.
What the Data Suggests
Rhode Island has 29 scored service markets in the Munimetric coverage set, covering roughly 1.0 million residents in total. At the latest reading, the state-level average lands at 26.3 out of 100, indicating early but meaningful signs of structural stress in aggregate. No markets currently sit in elevated-stress bands.
Across state markets, Operational Stress stands out as the dominant contributor to headline stress (12.4 points average), with Capex Pressure a distant second at 9.1. That pattern suggests a particular kind of pressure — concentrated rather than broadly distributed.
143 active signals are recorded across state markets. The most prevalent is Current Drought Severity, affecting 29 markets.
State-level average stress has been relatively steady between recent observation periods, suggesting the current picture reflects persistent conditions rather than a sudden shift.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
Recent Movement
Latest average MISI is 26.3 as of May 19, 2026. Movement since May 17, 2026 is flat.
Compact summary from 42 stored state observations.
State Family Contribution Summary
Operational Stress12.4 / 20.0
Capex Pressure9.1 / 20.0
Revenue Fragility3.8 / 20.0
Governance Risk0.9 / 20.0
Rate Constraint0.0 / 20.0
Signals
Signal Frequency
| Signal | Severity | Markets affected | % of scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Drought Severity | medium | 29 | 100% |
| Climate Hazard Exposure | high | 24 | 83% |
| Lead & Copper Rule Risk | high | 22 | 76% |
| Compliance Escalation | high | 22 | 76% |
| PFAS Contamination Risk | high | 13 | 45% |
| High-AGI Out-Migration | high | 11 | 38% |
| Housing Market Weakness | medium | 11 | 38% |
| Utility Data Staleness | high | 5 | 17% |
| Infrastructure Capital Gap | high | 3 | 10% |
| Monitoring / Reporting Failures | medium | 3 | 10% |
Markets
Top Markets
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pawtucket-City of | 38.7 | Watch | 98K | 8 |
| 2 | Providence-City of | 38.3 | Watch | 333K | 6 |
| 3 | North Kingstown Town of | 37.6 | Watch | 28K | 6 |
| 4 | Woonsocket Water Department | 36.7 | Watch | 46K | 7 |
| 5 | United Water Rhode Island | 34.2 | Watch | 22K | 6 |
| 6 | Naval Station, Newport | 33.3 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 7 | University of Rhode Island | 33.2 | Watch | 19K | 6 |
| 8 | Johnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End | 32.0 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 9 | Westerly Water Department | 31.7 | Watch | 35K | 6 |
| 10 | Narragansett Water Dept.-North End | 31.7 | Watch | 4K | 6 |
| 11 | Narragansett Water System-Point Judith | 31.6 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 12 | South Kingstown-South Shore | 29.7 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 13 | Cumberland, Town of | 28.1 | Watch | 21K | 6 |
| 14 | East Smithfield Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Greenville Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 16 | East Providence-City of | 26.1 | Watch | 48K | 5 |
| 17 | Block Island Water Company | 25.7 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 18 | Smithfield Water Supply Board | 24.0 | Watch | 9K | 4 |
| 19 | Kingston Water District | 23.7 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 20 | Warwick-City of | 23.0 | Watch | 73K | 5 |
Comparison
State Comparison
National average: 25.0
| Rank | State | Avg Score | Band | Markets | Delta vs State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Arizona | 26.6 | Watch | 154 | +0.3 |
| 22 | Kansas | 26.5 | Watch | 90 | +0.3 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 26.3 | Watch | 29 | +0.0 |
| 24 | Maryland | 25.9 | Watch | 78 | -0.4 |
| 25 | Colorado | 25.2 | Watch | 174 | -1.1 |
Analytical posture
State Stress Analytics
Score Distribution
Distribution of scored market scores with the state average overlay.
29 markets plotted.
Stress vs Population
Each point is a scored market; tooltip reveals market-level context.
28 markets plotted.
Population View
People served by community water systems in Rhode Island, colored by stress band.
~1.0M people served by 29 systems in Rhode Island
Stable
Watch
Fragile
High Stress
Critical
29 scored systems · colored by stress band
Peer Constellation
Select a market to see its nearest peers by score similarity.
24 nearest peers by score distance.
Score Trend
Latest
26.3
Trend
+20.3
Observations
42
Extended layers
Advanced State Context
Priority views, detailed registers, and methodology supporting the analytical core above.
Markets & signals
Priority Views
| # | Service Market | Score | Band | Pop. | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pawtucket-City of | 38.7 | Watch | 98K | 8 |
| 2 | Providence-City of | 38.3 | Watch | 333K | 6 |
| 3 | North Kingstown Town of | 37.6 | Watch | 28K | 6 |
| 4 | Woonsocket Water Department | 36.7 | Watch | 46K | 7 |
| 5 | United Water Rhode Island | 34.2 | Watch | 22K | 6 |
| 6 | Naval Station, Newport | 33.3 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 7 | University of Rhode Island | 33.2 | Watch | 19K | 6 |
| 8 | Johnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End | 32.0 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 9 | Westerly Water Department | 31.7 | Watch | 35K | 6 |
| 10 | Narragansett Water Dept.-North End | 31.7 | Watch | 4K | 6 |
| 11 | Narragansett Water System-Point Judith | 31.6 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 12 | South Kingstown-South Shore | 29.7 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 13 | Cumberland, Town of | 28.1 | Watch | 21K | 6 |
| 14 | East Smithfield Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Greenville Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 16 | East Providence-City of | 26.1 | Watch | 48K | 5 |
| 17 | Block Island Water Company | 25.7 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 18 | Smithfield Water Supply Board | 24.0 | Watch | 9K | 4 |
| 19 | Kingston Water District | 23.7 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 20 | Warwick-City of | 23.0 | Watch | 73K | 5 |
Detailed records
Registers
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pawtucket-City of | 38.7 | Watch | 98K | 8 |
| 2 | Providence-City of | 38.3 | Watch | 333K | 6 |
| 3 | North Kingstown Town of | 37.6 | Watch | 28K | 6 |
| 4 | Woonsocket Water Department | 36.7 | Watch | 46K | 7 |
| 5 | United Water Rhode Island | 34.2 | Watch | 22K | 6 |
| 6 | Naval Station, Newport | 33.3 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 7 | University of Rhode Island | 33.2 | Watch | 19K | 6 |
| 8 | Johnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End | 32.0 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 9 | Westerly Water Department | 31.7 | Watch | 35K | 6 |
| 10 | Narragansett Water Dept.-North End | 31.7 | Watch | 4K | 6 |
| 11 | Narragansett Water System-Point Judith | 31.6 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 12 | South Kingstown-South Shore | 29.7 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 13 | Cumberland, Town of | 28.1 | Watch | 21K | 6 |
| 14 | East Smithfield Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Greenville Water District | 26.6 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 16 | East Providence-City of | 26.1 | Watch | 48K | 5 |
| 17 | Block Island Water Company | 25.7 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 18 | Smithfield Water Supply Board | 24.0 | Watch | 9K | 4 |
| 19 | Kingston Water District | 23.7 | Watch | 4K | 5 |
| 20 | Warwick-City of | 23.0 | Watch | 73K | 5 |
State intelligence is assembled from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic indicators, FEMA NRI hazard exposure profiles, and state-reported financial disclosures. Each service market receives a MISI score (0–100) based on five families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Scores are deterministic and threshold-based. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings. Peer context is provided by percentile ranking within population-based cohorts.
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 29 community drinking-water systems in Rhode Island, covering compliance conditions, capital needs, revenue and rate pressure, and governance risk. Use this page to research which systems face the highest structural stress and how Rhode Island compares nationally.
- Which water systems in Rhode Island face the most infrastructure stress?
- The highest-stress systems in Rhode Island are ranked by MISI score above. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk—not a single compliance event. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
- How does Rhode Island compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Rhode Island is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. The state comparison table above shows where Rhode Island ranks nationally and how its average score compares.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Rhode Island water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- What compliance signals are active in Rhode Island?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, data staleness, and financial stress indicators across Rhode Island systems. The signal frequency table above summarizes which signals are most prevalent statewide.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Rhode Island?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions—compliance posture, infrastructure stress, and governance risk—that provide broader context around system reliability.
- Pawtucket-City of water system profile
- Providence-City of drinking water infrastructure profile
- North Kingstown Town of MISI score & system data
- Woonsocket Water Department water system profile
- United Water Rhode Island drinking water infrastructure profile
- Naval Station, Newport MISI score & system data
- University of Rhode Island water system profile
- Johnston Water Ctrl Fac. - West End drinking water infrastructure profile
- Westerly Water Department MISI score & system data
- Narragansett Water Dept.-North End water system profile
- Narragansett Water System-Point Judith drinking water infrastructure profile
- South Kingstown-South Shore MISI score & system data
- Cumberland, Town of water system profile
- East Smithfield Water District drinking water infrastructure profile
- Greenville Water District MISI score & system data
Keep monitoring this state
Workflow access covers exports, Track, Munex, alerts, and repeat monitoring tools.
Water Infrastructure in Rhode Island
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 29 community drinking-water systems in Rhode Island. Each system receives a Munimetric Infrastructure Stress Index (MISI) score from 0 to 100, calculated across five risk families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Higher scores indicate more structural stress. Scores are source-backed and deterministic, drawing from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic data, FEMA National Risk Index hazard profiles, and state financial disclosures.
State-level monitoring shows which systems face the highest structural stress, how Rhode Island compares against other states nationally, and which monitoring signals are most active across the state. Each individual system profile includes compliance history, score family drivers, peer rankings within population-based cohorts where safeguards pass, and public source context. Full provenance cards and source workbench views remain workflow-gated. Munimetric covers community water systems across all 50 states and territories. This is structural risk research—not a water quality rating, advisory feed, or credit rating. Updated May 2026.
The statewide public-record layer adds drinking-water violation categories, PFAS monitoring summaries where stored, lead and copper context, source-water mix, and official record links across covered systems. These records help explain water-system context alongside infrastructure stress without turning Munimetric into a tap-water safety determination.
- What is the Munimetric score for Rhode Island?
- Munimetric assigns a state-level average MISI score based on the individual scores of all covered community water systems in Rhode Island. The state average, band distribution, and market-level rankings are shown on this page. Higher MISI values indicate greater structural stress.
- Which water systems in Rhode Island face the most infrastructure stress?
- The state page ranks the highest-stress systems in Rhode Island by MISI score. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk, not a single compliance event. The headline remains a blended structural stress composite rather than a pure physical-condition index. Workflow actions remain reserved for account access.
- How does Rhode Island compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Rhode Island is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. Munimetric tracks nationwide coverage across 9,000+ scored service markets.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Rhode Island water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family score. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- Does Munimetric include PFAS monitoring context for Rhode Island water systems?
- Munimetric summarizes stored PFAS monitoring context where public contaminant-monitoring records are available. Missing PFAS summaries remain missing records, not non-detections, and this public-record layer does not change the MISI score by itself.
- What compliance signals are active in Rhode Island?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, population decline, income erosion, data staleness, and parent-government fiscal stress across Rhode Island water systems.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Rhode Island?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions that provide context around system reliability over time.
- U.S. water infrastructure stress monitoring homepage
- How Munimetric scores drinking water systems
- Browse all water system profiles in the Screener
- Compare water infrastructure risk across all U.S. states
- Browse Rhode Island water systems by MISI stress band
- Browse Rhode Island water systems by population served
- Browse Rhode Island water systems by source-water type
- Water infrastructure research & guides
- Munimetric analytical rankings
- Compare states by average MISI
- Compare states by High Stress share
- National High-Stress water-system ranking