Stonnwater and Sediment 



groups place the Districts in a unique position. Districts can conduct woiicsliops and 

 prepare handbooks and educational materials which are targeted to the needs of specific 

 towns and discrete problem areas. In addition, they can exert influence in ways that are not 

 open to state regulatory agencies. For example, not only may the Districts lend valuable 

 assistance, they may also place their limited resources in the service of towns where their 

 advice is adhered to, providing a potentially powerfiil incentive for follow-through once 

 ordinances have been enacted. 



In many states. Districts are well-funded and serve as the key local focus for major 

 programs. In Rhode Island, by contrast. Conservation Districts are funded at an extremely 

 low level by the state. Each District normally receives one to two thousand dollars annually 

 firom appropriations to DEM. For the upcoming fiscal year, no funds have been made 

 available, as all such funds have been pooled to support the hiring of a part-time staff 

 person to promote use of the state's erosion and sedunentation enabling legislation in all of 

 the towns in the state. 



Conservation Districts conduct annual seedling sales to generate funding, and solicit 

 funding from municipalities to which they provide technical assistance. Occasionally, 

 workshop revenues exceed costs, contributing minimal supplemental fimding. 



District funding is completely inadequate to meet increasing, and increasingly diverse, 

 demands. The Eastern District, for example, solicits roughly $2000 total per year firom 

 municipalities to which it provides technical assistance, and is working with those towns to 

 develop methods to solicit grant funds from other sources. The other Districts receive even 

 less municipal funding. Given the importance of district activities, fiinding must be 

 increased. 



Districts presently have no staff, other than part-time secretarial support District 

 Conservationists, who are SCS employees assigned to serve district needs, meet most of 

 the requests which come to the districts. Since the formulation of the AWQMP, Rhode 

 Island has placed considerable reliance on the Districts, and plans to expand their role in 

 upcoming inq)lementation of broader non-point source controls. Rhode Island must 

 increase district staff if new responsibilities are to be met. 



Recommendations to RIDEM/R.L Dept of Revenue 



***Provide on-going funding for Conservation Districts which is sufficient 

 to enable the districts to inventory sources, provide technical assistance to 

 farmers, monitor BMP maintenance and effectiveness, and implement other 

 programs as necessary to meet their responsibilities in ensuring effective 

 control of agriculture-related non-point source pollution. 



Recommendations to Conservation Districts 



**In cooperation with the Division of Planning and the USDA Resource Conservation and 

 Development Program, complete an inventory of existing municipal controls relating to 

 sediment and erosion control, runoff and drainage management, floodplain management, 

 aquifer protection, open space protection, and critical area protection. 



***Work with municipalities to encourage development of land use 

 management programs in critical Basin watersheds to improve water 



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