§ 46-31-2 - Definitions.
SECTION 46-31-2
§ 46-31-2 Definitions. – As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Bays" means the estuaries including Narragansett Bay,Mount Hope Bay, Greenwich Bay, Little Narragansett Bay, the coastal ponds, theSakonnet River, and Rhode Island territorial waters that extend seaward threegeographical miles from the shoreline including the area around Block Island.
(2) "Chair" means the chairperson of the coordination team.
(3) "Coordination" means to harmonize in a common action oreffort and/or to function in a complementary manner.
(4) "Coordination team" or "team" means the Rhode IslandBays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team that is the group of seniorexecutive officials created in § 46-31-3.
(5) "Ecosystem-based plan" means a plan that addresses thecomplex interrelationships among the ocean, land, air, and all living creaturesincluding humans, and considers the interactions among multiple activities thataffect entire systems.
(6) "River" means a flowing body of water or estuary or asection, portion, or tributary thereof, including, but not limited to, streams,creeks, brooks, ponds, and small lakes.
(7) "Systems-level plan" means an interagency ecosystem-basedplan for the bays, rivers, and watersheds that:
(i) Establishes overall goals and priorities for themanagement, preservation, and restoration of bays, rivers, and watersheds andthe promotion of sustainable economic development of the water cluster;
(ii) Sets forth a strategy for attaining goals whichdelineates specific responsibilities among agencies;
(iii) Identifies funding sources and a timetable forattaining goals;
(iv) Provides an estimate of the total projected cost ofimplementing the plan including capital improvements; and
(v) Guides a strategy for a monitoring program that evaluatesprogress in implementing the plan and to provide the necessary information toadapt the plan in response to changing conditions.
(8) "Water cluster" means an economically interconnectedgrouping of businesses, institutions, and people relying directly or indirectlyon the bays, rivers, and watersheds including, but not limited to, thefollowing sectors:
(i) Recreation, tourism, and public events;
(ii) Fisheries and aquaculture;
(iii) Boat and ship building;
(iv) Boating-related businesses;
(v) Transportation;
(vi) Military;
(vii) Research; and
(viii) Technology development and education.
(9) "Watershed" means a land area which because of itstopography, soil type, and drainage patterns acts as a collector of raw waterswhich regorge or replenish rivers and existing or planned public water supplies.