Stonnwater and Sediment 



The ERICD board and the District Conservationist (an SCS employee) have developed 

 an advocacy role with client towns, familiarizing town boards with the need for stormwater 

 and sediment control programs, and making them aware of the services available from the 

 District As the towns have recognized the broad value of District technical assistance, they 

 have increasingly called on the Conservationist and the boaid. 



The Conservationist reviews all stonnwater management site plans prepared to meet the 

 requirements of Middletown's drainage control ordinance, which stipulates no increase in 

 discharge. As in other areas of the state, none of the Newport County towns have a 

 municipal employee dedicated to the task of implementing stormwater management and 

 sediment/erosion control programs. If the District had a technical staff, it could also offer 

 Middletown (and other district towns) assistance in enforcement, supplementing the efforts 

 of buildings inspectors who generally have little or no experience with urban best 

 management practices (BMPs). 



In states where non-point source programs have been put in place, compliance levels 

 have been direcdy correlated with inspection frequency. This is particularly true when 

 available municipal staff resources are inadequate to ensure regular, timely inspection of 

 installation and maintenance routines. Currendy, Conservation District board members are 

 rarely able to visit individual urban BMP sites, and District Conservationists, who are SCS 

 employees, are prohibited by law from engaging in enforcement activities. Thus, unless 

 District or municipal staffing capability is increased, proper maintenance is expected to 

 beconoe an increasing concern. The Eastern District is working with towns in the County 

 to set up a one year pilot program in which program development assistance would be 

 made available to towns on a fee basis. 



The Northern District places its greatest emphasis on farm conservation practices and 

 needs, although certain towns have signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the 

 District under which the District Conservationist reviews erosion and sediment control 

 plans. Because the swiftly developing Northern District includes the Scituate Watershed, 

 where non-point source pollution control initiatives arc being tested, the District Board's 

 willingness to place increasing emphasis on urban BMPs is extremely important In this 

 area in particular, a concerted outreach program will be needed in order to make town 

 boards aware of die technical assistance available through the District and its utility in a 

 range of contexts. The Northern District has set a goal to have Memoranda of 

 Understanding (MOUs) regarding review of plans and permits in place with all district 

 towns by 1991. 



The Southern District is midway between the Eastern and Northern Districts in its 

 emphasis. Its District Conservationist is new in his position, but brings considerable non- 

 point source management experience to the job. In the Southern Disoict as elsewhere. 

 District Conservationists and boards arc rcgularly called upon to provide assistance in 

 interprcting state regulatory requirements, particularly with regard to the freshwater 

 wetiands program. Districts also aid towns in obtaining technical project evaluation 

 assistance through the Resource Conservation and Development Council, and advise them 

 in defining land acquisition objectives. 



The Districts play an extremely important role in community education, which will be 

 pivotal in development of a successful non-point source program. Their quasi- 

 governmental advisory role, flexible mandate, and mission to respond to the needs of cUent 



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