Stormwater and Sediment 



and Erosion Control Committee Regarding the Development and 

 Implementation of Technical Guidelines for Stormwater Management," 

 should be published for broad circulation. 



Similarly, the revised and updated Rhode Island Erosion and Sediment 

 Control Handbook for land development should be finalized and published 

 for broad circulation as soon as possible. The Handbook represents a 

 thoughtful and careful distillation of several states' erosion control 

 experience, and a scrupulous adaptation of that experience to Rhode Island 

 hydrologic and geologic conditions. 



THE WETLANDS TASK FORCE 



DEM's Freshwater Wetland Section is presently responsible for administering 

 regulatory provisions of the Rhode Island Freshwater Wetlands Act as amended in 1985. 

 The wetlands protection programs (including Wetlands protection and Water Quality 

 Certification) are the sole regulatory authorities currendy used by DEM in regulating runoff 

 (DEM, 1986). As such, the authority available within the scope of these programs, and the 

 use of that authority, is of key importance in sediment and runoff control. 



In June 1985, the Director of DEM created a Wetiands Task Force in response to rising 

 public dissatisfaction regarding time delays in permit processing and administrative 

 interference in staff permit review and decision-making. The Task Force began 

 deliberations in June 1985 and completed its regular meeting agenda in January 1986. 

 Task Force members included state regulatory staff, academics, and representatives of 

 environmental, business, and civic groups having technical expertise in wetiands. Two 

 subcommittees were formed: one to investigate and make recommendations concerning the 

 role of the director in specific wetiand permit applications, and the other to recommend 

 technical and policy changes regarding program operation to the entire Task Force. 



The findings and recommendations of the Wetiands Task Force were never presented to 

 the public, although the repon is considered a public docimienL This is unfortunate, as the 

 fin(^gs were important and deserve public comment and review. Many findings relate 

 specifically to non-point source pollution problems, however, and corroborate findings of 

 the present research effort Specific Task Force findings and recommendations are 

 included in subsequent sections. 



STORMWATER RUNOFF AND SEDIMENT AS POLLUTANT SOURCES: 

 ISSUES OF CONCERN 



The following sections outline major concerns associated with sedimentation and 

 stormwater runoff, as summarized from Scheuler (1987) and other sources. Although 

 these findings reference a range of geographical areas, all concerns discussed are applicable 

 to the Narragansett Bay Basin. 



Alterations in Watershed Hydrology 



Beginning with the process of site clearing and grading, development alters watershed 

 hydrology. As construction proceeds, impervious rooftops, roads, parking lots, 

 sidewalks, driveways, and other surfaces reduce percolation in such a way that rainfall is 

 virtually completely converted to mnoff. Structural drainage "improvements" made to 



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