Sec. 22a-319. (Formerly Sec. 25-107). Initiation of watershed area programs.
Sec. 22a-319. (Formerly Sec. 25-107). Initiation of watershed area programs.
The legislative body of any town or city may vote to request the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection for advice and assistance in initiating a United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, watershed protection and flood prevention project for the watershed or subwatershed area in which such municipality is located.
The commissioner, after receiving such request, shall designate to such legislative body
any other municipality or municipalities which, for the purposes of such a project, would
be included in such area, and may prepare an application requesting the Secretary of
Agriculture to furnish assistance in planning and carrying out such project under the
provisions of said Public Law 566, as amended. The approval of such application by
the Secretary of Agriculture shall be authorization for the commissioner, with the assistance of the Secretary of Agriculture, to engage in preauthorization planning for a watershed protection and flood prevention project and to make a preauthorization report. If
such report shows that a watershed protection and flood prevention project is feasible,
the commissioner shall advise the legislative body of each municipality to be included
in the project area of the general type and extent of works of improvement desirable for
such project and he shall request the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a detailed
watershed plan including, but not limited to, the project's cost estimates and environmental impacts. The commissioner shall request the chief elected official of each municipality and the soil and water conservation district in the project area to appoint one
representative each to a watershed committee whose purpose shall be to advise the
commissioner on any detailed watershed plan. If the Secretary of Agriculture approves
the commissioner's request to develop a detailed watershed plan, the commissioner
shall cooperate in the development of such plan. After a detailed watershed plan has
been developed, the commissioner shall submit copies of such plan to the legislative
body of each municipality in the project area. If two-thirds of the total number of such
municipalities, by vote of their respective legislative bodies, approve the watershed
plan, the commissioner shall cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture in such plan's
implementation. The watershed plan may include structural, nonstructural or land-treatment measures and may include multiple purpose developments for municipal water
supply, fish, wildlife, open space or recreational uses. No watershed plan shall be implemented unless funds to meet state costs are authorized by the General Assembly or by
the municipality requesting advice or assistance or both. No watershed plan shall be
implemented until an agreement reached among all of the municipalities and approved
by the commissioner for reimbursement, by a municipality benefited by construction
of a flood control structure, of tax revenues lost by any municipality included in the
project area, but not benefited by the construction of such structure within the boundaries
of that municipality.
(November, 1955, S. N173; 1957, P.A. 218, S. 2; 1959, P.A. 637, S. 2; 1961, P.A. 67; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 125; P.A. 81-136, S. 2.)
History: 1959 act replaced commissioner of agriculture with commissioner of agriculture, conservation and natural
resources; 1961 act deleted "conservation" from commissioner's title; 1971 act replaced commissioner of agriculture and
natural resources and state soil conservation advisory committee with commissioner of environmental protection; P.A.
81-136 included watershed protection as function of projects and replaced previous provisions concerning procedure for
establishing project with new more detailed provisions, including preauthorization planning; Sec. 25-107 transferred to
Sec. 22a-319 in 1983.