§ 42-106-4 - Purpose and duties.
SECTION 42-106-4
§ 42-106-4 Purpose and duties. – (a) The purpose of the fund shall be to remedy existing pollution of the bayand to prevent future pollution of the bay, through sewer pollution controlprojects and contaminated sediment remedy and/or prevention programs. The stateshall finance projects and programs with the proceeds of the aqua fund bonds atthe direction of the director of the department of environmental managementwith the advice of the advisory council. The projects to be implemented withthe bond revenue and the sums to be assigned to each project shall be asfollows:
(1) Planning and program implementation for the financing ofmonies to provide for the preparation of statewide programs, policies, andimplementation of the following anti-pollution projects and the administrationthereof:
(i) Pretreatment;
(ii) Sediment and sludge abatement and remedy;
(iii) Urban runoff; and
(iv) Water supply to waste water treatment ability.
(2) Develop a pilot or prototypical implementation projectfor paragraphs (a)(1)(i) – (a)(1)(iv) of this subsection and theadministration thereof.
(3) Waste water treatment for the financing of monies toprovide revolving low interest loan funds to certain private entities forwastewater treatment and sewage disposal and revolving loan funds, additionalstate matching funds, and/or grants to cities and towns for municipal wastewater treatment projects and the administration thereof.
(4) Pretreatment, facilities and equipment for the financingof monies to provide for revolving low-interest loans to cities and townsand/or certain private entities for pretreatment, pretreatment facilities, andpretreatment equipment and the monitoring, enforcement, and administration ofpretreatment facilities.
(5) Urban run-off abatement for the financing of monies toprovide for revolving low-interest loans and grants to communities for urbanrun-off prevention programs; one half of the funds to be for revolvinglow-interest loans and one-half for grants and the administration thereof.
(b) Provided further that the administration of anyindividual project listed above shall not exceed four percent (4%) of the sumallocated to that project. To enable the director to carry out the purposes ofthis chapter, the director may engage in the following activities and anyothers he or she deems appropriate:
(1) Accumulate and analyze the necessary data to determinewhich areas of the bay would most benefit from a targeted sewer pollutioncontrol program and/or a contaminated sediment remedy program.
(2) Effectuate those recommendations of the Narragansett Bayproject that the council deems appropriate.
(3) Seek matching funds from the federal government for sewerpollution control projects and contaminated sediment remedy and/or preventionprograms.
(4) Develop common initiatives with the commonwealth ofMassachusetts for cleaning the bay.
(5) Make loans to cities and towns for sewer pollutioncontrol projects and contaminated sediment prevention programs.
(6) Make grants to cities and towns for contaminated sedimentremedy programs.
(7) Contract with private firms for contaminated sedimentremedy and/or prevention programs.
(8) Expend not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) ineach fiscal year of the proceeds of the aqua fund bonds, for the purpose ofengaging any professional and other support staff that the council may deemnecessary to accomplish its purpose.
(9) Make low interest revolving loans to certain privateentities serving more than twenty (20) dwellings to repair and improve sewerlines and disposal systems which directly contaminate Narragansett Bay and/orits tributaries.
(10) Take any other steps that are necessary to finance bayprojects that will produce the greatest pollution reduction and sedimentrecovery results with the most efficient application of public funds. Thedirector shall file an annual financial report on the aqua fund with thegovernor and the general assembly no later than January fifteenth of each year,commencing January, 1990.