§ 46-28-4 — § 46-28-4. Establishment of council — Purpose.

§ 46-28-4. Establishment of council — Purpose.

(a) There is hereby authorized, created, and established within the executive department as an associated function, as defined in § 46-28-10, of the water resources board, established pursuant to chapters 15 and 15.1 of this title, a Rhode Island rivers council known as "the Rhode Island rivers council,â€� with such powers as are set forth in this chapter, for the purposes of coordinating, overseeing, and reviewing efforts to improve and preserve the quality of rivers and to develop plans to increase the utilization of river areas throughout the state, and to support and strengthen grassroots watershed organizations as local implementers of the plans.

(b) The rivers policy and classification plan prepared and recommended as provided for in § 46-28-7(3) and as adopted by the state planning council shall be the principal means of management and protection by the rivers council. The rivers council shall work in conjunction with watershed councils and all affected federal, regional and state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Rhode Island bays, rivers and watersheds coordination team, the water resources board, the coastal resources management council, the department of environmental management, the department of health, the statewide planning program of the department of administration, and the economic development corporation, municipal governments, private organizations and persons in achieving the purposes set forth in this section, and implementing systems level planning for the state.

Legislative History

P.L. 1991, ch. 198, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 159, § 4; P.L. 2004, ch. 254, § 4; P.L. 2006, ch. 22, § 8; P.L. 2006, ch. 27, § 8; P.L. 2007, ch. 340, § 62.