§ 46-15.2-5 - Application to assistance program.
SECTION 46-15.2-5
§ 46-15.2-5 Application to assistanceprogram. – (a) Applicants shall submit projects proposed for assistance under this programto the water resources board, in the form and content prescribed by the board.The board shall coordinate the review and disposition of all applications byall agencies concerned in an expeditious manner. The board shall incorporatethe information required by all agencies to conduct their review of proposalsin its application documents.
(b) Upon receipt of an application, the board shall determinewhether the application is complete and contains all necessary information.Incomplete applications shall be returned to the applicants. Completeapplications shall be formally acknowledged by the board.
(c) The board shall forward a copy of each applicationaccepted to the division of public utilities and carriers, to the stateplanning council, to the department of health and to the department ofenvironmental management. Review of applications by these agencies shall beconducted concurrently.
(d) The water resources board shall evaluate each applicationto determine whether all requirements of §§ 46-15-1 and 46-15-3 havebeen met, and shall further ensure that:
(1) Design and engineering of the project are sound, asprovided in § 46-15.2-4(g);
(2) The applicant has adequately demonstrated that a needexists in its community for the water that would be provided by the project;
(3) The project links a water source with a waterdistribution system, as set forth in § 46-15.2-4(e);
(4) The distribution system owned or to be owned by theapplicant has or will continue to have sufficient capacity to carry theprojected volumes of water, as set forth in § 46-15.2-4(e);
(5) The proposed water source is adequate to meet theapplicant's needs and will have sufficient capacity to serve all future demandsimposed by the applicant in combination with all other users, as set forth in§ 46-15.2-4(e);
(6) The quality of the water meets the standards establishedby the Rhode Island department of health water quality regulations for thepurpose intended, as provided in § 46-15.2-4(f);
(7) The project incorporates sound conservation techniques asprovided in § 46-15.1-5; and
(8) The project is properly related to all other watersystems serving adjacent or nearby areas in terms of interconnections andmutual support.
(e) The division of public utilities and carriers shallreview the financing aspects of all projects, particularly with respect tocosts that will be imposed on water users as a result of the project. Thedivision shall perform an analysis of the proposed costs and benefits of theproject and shall, on the basis of its findings, make a determination as towhether approval of the project is in the best interests of the water users. Ifthe division determines the project is in the best interests of the waterusers, it shall approve the project. If the division determines that theproject is not in the best interests of the water users, it shall disapprovethe project. Since the division's review must be based on estimated costs andinterest rates, the full financing costs will not be precisely known. Theabsence of specificity concerning the finance of costs must be considered bythe division.
(f) The state planning council shall review all proposedprojects to determine whether they are consistent with all relevant elements ofthe state guide plan. Upon determination that a project is consistent with allrelevant elements of the state guide plan, the state planning council shallrender its approval. Upon a determination that the project is not consistentwith all relevant elements of the state guide plan, the council shalldisapprove the project. The state planning council will provide the policyframework necessary to guide this program through the state guide plan.