2009 Rhode Island Code
Title 46 - Waters and Navigation
CHAPTER 46-31 - The Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team
§ 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, the Sakonnet River, and Rhode Island territorial waters that extend seaward three geographical 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 or effort and/or to function in a complementary manner.

   (4) "Coordination team" or "team" means the Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team that is the group of senior executive officials created in § 46-31-3.

   (5) "Ecosystem-based plan" means a plan that addresses the complex interrelationships among the ocean, land, air, and all living creatures including humans, and considers the interactions among multiple activities that affect entire systems.

   (6) "River" means a flowing body of water or estuary or a section, portion, or tributary thereof, including, but not limited to, streams, creeks, brooks, ponds, and small lakes.

   (7) "Systems-level plan" means an interagency ecosystem-based plan for the bays, rivers, and watersheds that:

   (i) Establishes overall goals and priorities for the management, preservation, and restoration of bays, rivers, and watersheds and the promotion of sustainable economic development of the water cluster;

   (ii) Sets forth a strategy for attaining goals which delineates specific responsibilities among agencies;

   (iii) Identifies funding sources and a timetable for attaining goals;

   (iv) Provides an estimate of the total projected cost of implementing the plan including capital improvements; and

   (v) Guides a strategy for a monitoring program that evaluates progress in implementing the plan and to provide the necessary information to adapt the plan in response to changing conditions.

   (8) "Water cluster" means an economically interconnected grouping of businesses, institutions, and people relying directly or indirectly on the bays, rivers, and watersheds including, but not limited to, the following 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 its topography, soil type, and drainage patterns acts as a collector of raw waters which regorge or replenish rivers and existing or planned public water supplies.