ISDS 



Although many municipalities prepared sewer plans to comply with federal Construction 

 Grant requirements in the 1970's, several towns in the Bay watershed have more recently 

 recognized the critical importance of comprehensive town-wide wastewater management 

 planning in protecting water quality and ensuring fiscally responsible infrastructure 

 development 



Despite the limitations posed by Rhode Island's conservative zoning enabling 

 legislation, which dates from 1921, several Bay watershed towns have also moved to 

 channel growth toward areas capable of sustaining the impacts of development Towns 

 have established zoning overlays, resource protection ordinances, and other programs 

 designed to protect public health and welfare. 



The following recommendations identify ways in which local initiatives should be 

 expanded; 



Inventory 



**Undertake an environmental review to determine current and potential 

 hazards presented by present and historical sewage disposal practices in the 

 community. The review should consider a range of important issues and factors, and 

 should preferably be undertaken so as to support broad planning objectives, including 

 revision of the town Comprehensive Plan, revision of related town ordinances, adjustment 

 of zoning policy, etc. The factors should be assessed quantitatively, and estimates of error 

 should be made where possible. Issues and factors should include, for example: 



growth trends and population projections, by area; 



zoning designations, and variances issued, by area; 



present and future capacity of wastewater treatment facilities; 



present and future capacity of septage waste disposal facilities; 



average and seasonal daily flow projections and capacity limitations; 



levels of flow anticipated from approved projects not yet developed; 



instances of private well contamination, by site; 



location of storm drainage facilities; 



flood plain areas, with flood zone designation; 



wetland areas and their zones of hydrological influence; 



surface water areas/proximity; 



coastal buffer zone areas/proximity; 



areas serviced by sewers or designated for sewer extension; 



areas serviced by ISDS and requiring ISDS failure evaluation; 



areas serviced by subdrains; and 



areas presenting natural limitations to use of ISDS systems because of topography, 



soil type, depth to impermeable layer, high water table, existing water quality 



degradation, or other site characteristics. 



Mapping 



**Prepare maps and overlays indicating locations of the factors 

 investigated in the environmental review. These maps should reasonably draw 

 upon (and be consistent with) available engineering master plans, facilities plans, zoning 

 maps, flood designation maps, SCS soils maps, etc., but should clearly illustrate results of 

 the inventories undertaken within the scope of the environmental review. The maps should 



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