It is hereby found and declared that:
(1) There exists in the Providence metropolitan area and Narragansett Bay severe water quality problems resulting from the discharge of pollutants, conventional, and unconventional, into Narragansett Bay.
(2) It is further found and declared that Narragansett Bay may be the greatest natural resource of the state of Rhode Island, and continuing discharge of these pollutants jeopardizes the environmental integrity of the entire Narragansett Bay and creates severe and detrimental ecological and economic impact upon the people of the state of Rhode Island.
(3) It is further found and declared that because of the scope and complexity of the work necessary to correct and minimize these pollution discharges and the scope of financing required, local municipal governments in the Providence metropolitan area have been unable alone to cope properly and immediately with the magnitude of the pollution discharges.
(4) It is further found and declared that economy and efficiency dictate the desirability for an overall plan for dealing with pollution discharges in the Narragansett Bay and the Providence metropolitan area.
(5) It is further found and declared that the most effective and efficient method to combat the discharge of pollutants in the Narragansett Bay is to create a Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission, to be charged with the acquisition, planning, construction, financing, extension, improvement, and operation and maintenance of publicly owned sewage treatment facilities in the Narragansett Bay water quality management district, with appropriate provision for a portion of the financing of the activities to be undertaken by the pledging of the full faith and credit of the state of Rhode Island.
(6) Title 46, chapter 21 created the Blackstone Valley district commission and charged it with the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities to deal with the sewage and industrial wastes which originate in municipalities and industries located in the Blackstone and Moshassuck Valleys and are discharged into the waters of the state including the Seekonk and Blackstone rivers which flow into the Narragansett Bay without proper treatment.
(7) Economy, efficiency and technological advances dictate the desirability of having one entity to formulate, coordinate, and regulate an overall plan to reduce the discharge of sewerage and industrial wastes originating from the Blackstone and Moshassuck Valleys into the waters of this state and the discharge of pollutants into Narragansett Bay from the Narragansett Bay water quality management district.
(8) The most effective and efficient method of effectuating such an overall plan is to merge the Blackstone Valley district commission with and into the Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission.
(9) The most effective and efficient method of effectuating an overall plan for dealing with discharges in the watershed of the Narragansett Bay is the merger, consolidation, acquisition, operation and management of other sewage treatment facilities located in the state with or by the Narragansett Bay water quality management district commission as the commission may from time to time determine.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 342, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 309, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 133, art. 108, § 2.