Title 46, Title 46 and Navigation

(a) There is hereby authorized, created, and established within the executive department as an associated function, as defined in § 46-28-10, of the water resources board, established pursuant to chapters 15 and 15.1 of this title, a Rhode Island rivers council known as “the Rhod…

Such council shall consist of fifteen (15) members to be appointed in the following manner: (1) Nine (9) public members shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate; one of whom shall be a member of a chamber of commerce within Rhode Island, three…

Members of the council shall be removable by the governor pursuant to § 36-1-7 of the general laws and for cause only, and removal solely for partisan or personal reasons unrelated to capacity or fitness for the office shall be unlawful.

Upon the passage of this act [April 20, 2006], the council shall elect from among the members a chair and a vice-chair. Thereafter, the council shall annually elect in February a chair and vice-chair from among the members. The council may elect from among its members such other …

The council shall have the following powers: (1) To be entitled to ask for and receive from any commission, board, officer, or agency of the state such information, cooperation, assistance, and advice as shall be reasonable and proper in view of the nature of said functions; (2) …

In order to carry out the purposes of this chapter, the state planning council shall adopt a rivers policy and a classification plan for the state of Rhode Island as elements of the state guide plan in accordance with the provisions of § 42-11-10. The procedure for adoption shall…

(a) The rivers council shall establish and recognize local watershed councils to implement the rivers policy as adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and set forth in the state guide plan. Unless a watershed is solely within one municipality’s boundaries, each…

(a) Annual report. The council shall make an annual report to the governor and the general assembly on or before February 1 of each year. The report shall include a summary of the activities of the council and of each designated local watershed council and a consolidated financia…

This chapter shall be referred to as the “Phosphate Reduction Act of 1995”.

The general assembly hereby recognizes and declares that: (1) Whereas, excess nutrients, especially phosphorus, from municipal wastewater treatment plants, septic tanks, urban and agricultural losses may cause eutrophication resulting in algae blooms and low dissolved oxygen; and…

(a) No person may manufacture, store, sell, use, or distribute for sale or use any cleaning agent containing phosphorus in the State, except as otherwise provided in this section. (b) As used in this section, “cleaning agent” means a laundry detergent, dishwashing compound, house…

Any person aggrieved by any determination made by the director pursuant to this chapter may seek review of that determination before the administrative adjudication division of the department pursuant to Chapters 35 and 17.7 of title 42.

This chapter shall be construed liberally in aid of its declared purpose, which purpose is the reduction of phosphorus entering the waters of the state.

If any provision of this chapter or of any rule or regulation made thereunder, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the chapter, rule, or regulation and the application of such provision t…

This chapter shall be referred to as the “Public Water Supply Systems Act of 1995”.

(a) It is hereby found and declared that: (1) Water is vital to life and comprises an invaluable natural resource which is not to be abused by any segment of the state’s population or its economy. It is the policy of the state to restore, enhance, and maintain the chemical, physi…

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings unless the context shall indicate another or different meaning: (1) “Annexation fee” means a fee levied on the individual water system connections, or accounts, in addition to their normal wa…

(a) The financial obligation for the upgrading of the public water supply system to be annexed and the continued management and operational responsibility to bring that system into compliance with the applicable regulations and on parity with the existing facilities of the govern…

(a) After petition by the small water supply system to the governing agency and subject to the approval of the governing board of the public water supply system and the governing board of the governing agency, or, in the case of a municipally owned system, the approval of the maj…

The provisions of this chapter shall be construed liberally in order to accomplish the purposes hereof, and where any specific power is given to any agency by the provisions hereof, the statement thereof shall not be deemed to exclude or impair any power otherwise in this chapter…

If any provisions of this chapter or of any rule, regulation, or order made thereunder, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this chapter, rule, regulation, or order, and the application …

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “PFAS in Drinking Water, Groundwater, and Surface Waters Act.”

(a) As used in this chapter, “PFAS contaminants” means perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA). (b) On or befo…

If the director of the department of health decides to publish a notice pursuant to the provisions of § 46-32-4(b)(1) then on or before June 1, 2024, the director of the department of health shall, pursuant to this section, file under § 42-35-4 a final rule with the secretary of …

(a) If the director of the department of health decides to publish a notice pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b)(1) of this section then on or before February 1, 2024, the director of the department of health shall initiate a public notice and comment process by publishin…

On or before December 31, 2023, the director or the department of environmental management shall file under § 42-35-4 a final rule with the secretary of state to adopt groundwater quality standards for, at a minimum, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (P…

On or before December 31, 2023, the director of the department of environmental management shall file under § 42-35-4 a final rule with the secretary of state to adopt surface water quality action levels to address the contamination of Rhode Island waters from releases of, at a m…

(a) On or before November 1, 2023, the director of the department of environmental management shall publish a plan for public review and comment to complete a statewide investigation of potential sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. As part of this…

On or before December 31, 2022, the director of the department of environmental management shall file under § 42-35-4 a final rule with the secretary of state to adopt standards and procedures for groundwater and leachate monitoring at and around landfills including, at a minimum…

As used in this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise: (1) “Aquatic invasive species” means those invasive or non-native species that inhabit water resources including lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. (2) “Coordination” means to harmonize in a common action or effort …

(a) The department shall develop and implement a lake management program. The program shall include the following elements: (1) Field surveys and mapping to document the presence of aquatic invasive species in freshwaters; (2) Development and provision of guidance and technical a…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Marine Waterways and Boating Facilities Act of 2001.”

In order to provide time sufficient for adoption of rules, protocols, guidelines, and plans required by this chapter and to review and act on current dredging projects and applications, the council and the department shall continue in full force and effect such rules, regulations…

The general assembly finds and declares: (1) Marine transportation in the state depends on adequate depth in waterways and harbors to permit the safe passage and operation of vessels. (2) Recreational and commercial boating depends on the availability of channels, harbors, marina…

The purposes of this chapter are: (1) To establish an integrated, coherent plan for dredging and dredge material management, which includes beneficial use, dewatering, in-water disposal, and upland disposal as appropriate, that sets forth the state’s program for these activities …

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall mean: (1) “Beneficial use” means the placement or use of dredged material for some productive purpose, and shall include, but not be limited to, uses such as beach nourishment, habitat creation and enhancement, brownfiel…

(a) The council shall prepare, adopt and maintain, pursuant to § 46-23-1(e), a comprehensive plan for dredged material management for dredging that takes place in the coastal zone. The plan shall include, among other matters: (1) Coastal zone and upland areas that are deemed suit…

(a) The council and the department shall jointly prepare and adopt, no later than January 1, 2002, protocols and guidelines for coordinated review and action on applications made pursuant to § 46-6.1-6, which shall among other things provide for: (1) The elimination of redundant …

(a) Any person proposing to dredge in the coastal zone, or to dewater or to engage in the beneficial use or disposal of dredged material from the coastal zone, shall be required to obtain approval from the council, and from the department pursuant to § 42-17.1-24 as appropriate, …

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Rhode Island general laws to the contrary, whenever the council and the director have approved the beneficial use, dewatering or disposal of dredged material, the applicant, the site owner and/or the site operator, and any successors or …

(a) In order to accomplish the purposes of this chapter to provide for beneficial use, dewatering, and disposal of dredged material: (1) State agencies, departments, corporations, authorities, boards, commissions, including, but not limited to, the department of administration, t…

The findings and declaration made by § 46-9-1 are hereby made applicable to this chapter.

(a) It shall be unlawful for the master, owner, agent, or consignee of any vessel, not exempt from the provisions of this chapter, entering or departing from any port or landing place of the state or transversing the waters of Block Island Sound, to take on any person not license…

Every person who shall, after June 25, 1971 apply for a license to act as a pilot in the waters of this state, shall be a citizen or legal resident of the United States; shall possess a master’s license with a federal first class pilot’s endorsement covering the waters of Block I…

The commission shall conduct an examination for applicants for pilots’ licenses at a time and place that it shall, after due notice, direct. It shall examine the applicants with relation to their qualifications for the office of pilot. Each applicant shall be examined in particul…

If the commission, after a public hearing duly called, deems that the number of licensed pilots is sufficient to meet the demands of commerce in the waters of this state, it shall place the names of the subsequent applicants on file for future examination and licensing in the ord…