§ 46-25-2 - Legislative findings.
SECTION 46-25-2
§ 46-25-2 Legislative findings. – It is hereby found and declared that:
(1) There exists in the Providence metropolitan area andNarragansett Bay severe water quality problems resulting from the discharge ofpollutants, conventional, and unconventional, into Narragansett Bay.
(2) It is further found and declared that Narragansett Baymay be the greatest natural resource of the state of Rhode Island, andcontinuing discharge of these pollutants jeopardizes the environmentalintegrity of the entire Narragansett Bay and creates severe and detrimentalecological and economic impact upon the people of the state of Rhode Island.
(3) It is further found and declared that because of thescope and complexity of the work necessary to correct and minimize thesepollution discharges and the scope of financing required, local municipalgovernments in the Providence metropolitan area have been unable alone to copeproperly and immediately with the magnitude of the pollution discharges.
(4) It is further found and declared that economy andefficiency dictate the desirability for an overall plan for dealing withpollution discharges in the Narragansett Bay and the Providence metropolitanarea.
(5) It is further found and declared that the most effectiveand efficient method to combat the discharge of pollutants in the NarragansettBay is to create a Narragansett Bay water quality management districtcommission, to be charged with the acquisition, planning, construction,financing, extension, improvement, and operation and maintenance of publiclyowned sewage treatment facilities in the Narragansett Bay water qualitymanagement district, with appropriate provision for a portion of the financingof the activities to be undertaken by the pledging of the full faith and creditof the state of Rhode Island.
(6) Title 46, chapter 21 created the Blackstone Valleydistrict commission and charged it with the planning, construction, operation,and maintenance of facilities to deal with the sewage and industrial wasteswhich originate in municipalities and industries located in the Blackstone andMoshassuck Valleys and are discharged into the waters of the state includingthe Seekonk and Blackstone rivers which flow into the Narragansett Bay withoutproper treatment.
(7) Economy, efficiency and technological advances dictatethe desirability of having one entity to formulate, coordinate, and regulate anoverall plan to reduce the discharge of sewerage and industrial wastesoriginating from the Blackstone and Moshassuck Valleys into the waters of thisstate and the discharge of pollutants into Narragansett Bay from theNarragansett Bay water quality management district.
(8) The most effective and efficient method of effectuatingsuch an overall plan is to merge the Blackstone Valley district commission withand into the Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission.
(9) The most effective and efficient method of effectuatingan overall plan for dealing with discharges in the watershed of theNarragansett Bay is the merger, consolidation, acquisition, operation andmanagement of other sewage treatment facilities located in the state with or bythe Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission as thecommission may from time to time determine.