Title 46, Title 46 and Navigation

The purposes of the water resources board under this chapter shall be to carry out the powers and duties of the board set forth in this chapter, including, without limitation, to establish water supply facilities and lease those facilities to cities, towns, districts, and other m…

The phrase “water supply facilities” wherever appearing in this chapter and chapter 15 of this title means water reservoirs, wells and well sites, treatment, transmission or distribution systems, stream gauging stations, any and all real estate or interests in real estate held in…

(a) The board shall carry out its functions and shall have the following powers: (1) To adopt a seal and to alter the seal from time to time; (2) To sue and be sued; (3) To purchase, hold, and dispose of real and personal property, or interests therein, and to lease the property …

Upon the request of the Rhode Island rivers council, the board may exercise any powers set forth in § 46-15.1-5 on behalf of the Rhode Island rivers council in order to accomplish the purposes of the council.

(a) The board shall have the following additional duties: (1) Within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year, the board (corporate) shall submit an annual report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the secretar…

The state properties committee is authorized on behalf of the state, from time to time, to sell and convey or lease to the board, for the purposes of this chapter, any property (which may include water sources or the right to take water) held by the state for water supply purpose…

(a) Any city, town, district, or other municipal, quasi municipal, or public or private corporation or company engaged in the water supply business in Rhode Island is authorized, from time to time, to sell or otherwise convey to the board any water supply facilities held by that …

(a) Except as otherwise provided by the board, the funds of the board under this chapter shall be in the custody of the treasurer of the board. The fiscal year of the board under this chapter shall end on June 30 of each calendar year. All payments by the board under this chapter…

The board may borrow money temporarily for the purposes of this chapter and chapter 15.3 of this title in anticipation of revenue or federal aid or in anticipation of the issue of bonds, and issue notes therefor. Notes issued in anticipation of revenue may not mature or be refund…

This chapter shall be known as the “Rhode Island Water Facilities Assistance Program”.

The general assembly finds and declares that: (1) A number of Rhode Island municipalities periodically suffer water shortages severe enough to require usage curtailments as a result of droughts. (2) The limited water supply systems and sources of these municipalities, burdened by…

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) “Distribution facilities” means the pipes and appurtenant facilities employed specifically to deliver, to dispense, to rend…

(a) There is hereby established in the water resources board a Rhode Island water facilities assistance program. The board shall administer this program so as to ensure the proper and systematic development of coordinated water supply and transmission facilities and shall expend …

(a) Applicants shall submit projects proposed for assistance under this program to the water resources board, in the form and content prescribed by the board. The board shall coordinate the review and disposition of all applications by all agencies concerned in an expeditious man…

(a) Except as provided in § 46-15.2-4(d) with respect to intersystem facilities, no project shall be approved by the water resources board unless the project has been approved by the division of public utilities and carriers, as set forth in § 46-15.2-5(e), by the state planning …

The water resources board shall determine the priority and scheduling of all projects assisted by this program, and shall ensure that all construction is properly managed and successfully completed.

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 referred to as the “Public Drinking Water Supply System Protection Act of 1997”.

(a) The general assembly hereby recognizes and declares 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 this state to restore, enhance, and maintai…

(a)(1) There are hereby created three (3) water quality protection funds: one of which shall be administered by and be in the custody of the treasurer of the water resources board, one of which shall be administered by and be in the custody of the city of Providence acting throug…

(a) Only suppliers which withdraw water from wells, reservoirs, springs, or other original sources of potable water shall be entitled to disbursements from the first of the two (2) mentioned funds created under § 46-15.3-10 administered by the water resources board. From amounts …

If the board shall be dissolved, all funds of the board not required for the payment of bonds shall be paid to the general treasurer for the use of the state, and all property belonging to the board shall be vested in the state and delivered to it. If the fund for the city of Pro…

(a) If any provision of this chapter shall be held invalid in any circumstance, the invalidity shall not affect any other provisions or circumstances. (b) This chapter shall be construed in all respects so as to meet all constitutional requirements. In carrying out the purposes a…

The department of health shall review each water supply system management plan, replacement or amendment thereto filed with it, submit comments in writing to the water resources board, as to its completeness, appropriateness for the area served, and adequacy to achieve the object…

The department of environmental management shall review each water supply system management plan, replacement or amendment thereto filed with it, and submit comments in writing to the water resources board.

The division of planning of the department of administration shall: Review each water supply system management plan, replacement, or amendment thereto submitted by a water supplier as provided by § 46-15.3-5.1 and submit comments in writing to the water resources board. Water sup…

The division of public utilities and carriers shall review each water supply system management plan, replacement or amendment thereto filed with it by a regulated water supplier and submit comments in writing to the water resources board as to its completeness, appropriateness fo…

(a) Except as specified in § 46-15.3-9, the water resources board is designated to carry out the provisions of this chapter in its capacity as designated in § 46-15.1-2. In exercising its powers under this chapter, the board shall constitute a body politic and corporate and a pub…

(a) The water resources board shall forward any determination of non-compliance made pursuant to §§ 46-15.3-7.5 and 46-15.3-7.6 to the division of public utilities and carriers. The division of public utilities and carriers shall consider such determinations of non-compliance as …

(a) The fees, rates, and charges for drinking water are a mandatory component of water supply system management. (b) The following factors shall be considered in setting fees, rates, and charges: (1) Recovery of all capital and operating costs, fixed and variable of production, c…

(a) Financial support of water supply and provision of timely and accurate information on costs to users are mandatory components of water supply system management. (b) All water suppliers shall meter all water delivered and shall maintain and replace meters in accordance with th…

(a) Water supply system management shall include retrofitting existing water users not in conformance with the state plumbing code standards for new or replacement sanitary devices with water-saving plumbing equipment, including, but not limited to, low-flow faucet aerators and s…

(a) The cost of water supply system management planning and water supply system management as required by this chapter shall be financed as follows: (1) The cost of preparing and maintaining water supply system management plans as required by § 46-15.3-5.1(A)(1) shall be paid by …

Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, upon the dissolution of the water resources board (corporate) pursuant to § 46-15.1-22, any charges remitted to the water resources board (corporate) pursuant to this chapter shall be remitted to the Rhode Island infras…

The purposes of the board and the suppliers under this chapter shall be to protect the quality and safety of the public drinking water supply. In carrying out the foregoing purposes the board shall have, in addition to the powers granted in this chapter, all of the powers enumera…

As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings, unless the context shall indicate another or different meaning or intent: (1) “Aquifer” means a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation capable of yielding a signif…

(a) There is hereby imposed on each supplier of water, for the purpose of protecting the quality and safety of the public supply of water, a charge to be known as a “water quality protection charge” based upon billings for sales of every supplier of public drinking water at the r…

(a) All parties involved in the supply, transmission, and/or distribution of drinking water shall prepare, maintain, and carry out a water supply system management plan as described by this chapter. This requirement applies, without limitations, to: (1) All municipalities subject…

(a) Every supplier of public water eligible for trust fund proceeds under this chapter shall, by July 1, 1988, complete a water quality protection component which shall at a minimum include: (1) Determination of the boundaries of the watersheds of reservoirs serving the supplier …

The water resources board with the concurrence of the department of environmental management, the department of health, the department of administration’s division of planning, and the Rhode Island public utilities commission, as to water suppliers within its jurisdiction, shall …

The provisions of §§ 45-13-7 through 45-13-10 inclusive, shall not apply to this chapter.

(a) Each party required by this chapter to prepare and maintain a water supply system management plan shall complete and adopt an initial plan adhering to the schedule as previously approved by the water resources board. (b) Municipalities and water suppliers subject to the requi…

(a) The water resources board shall coordinate the expeditious review of water supply system management plans, replacements and amendments thereto prepared by water suppliers and all other subject to § 46-15.3-5.1 of this chapter. (b) Upon filing of water supply system management…

Those water suppliers, and all others subject to the provisions of this chapter, who, at the time that this chapter takes effect, have in process the development of a water supply management plan, or component thereof, as required under any provision of the general laws, shall be…

Notice of the imposition of the water quality protection charge shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the state of Rhode Island at some time subsequent to the imposition of the water quality protection charge. Actions to contest the validity of the proc…