Technical Summary 



management controls are critically important in preventing groundwater pollution, 

 protecting estuarine water quality, targeting growth toward resource areas capable of 

 sustaining development, and preserving the unique amenity qualities of the Bay watershed 

 system. As a result, the management of land and water resources affecting the 

 quality of Narragansett Bay depends heavily on the enactment and 

 enforcement of local laws and regulations. Several complicating factors in 

 addition to the taking issue, however, have served to restrict the effectiveness of local 

 initiatives. 



An issue of key importance is the inadequacy of planning capability in 

 many Bay basin communities. Although some towns have moved to develop 

 qualified local planning staff within the past several years, many rapidly developing rural 

 commmiities in the Bay watershed have staff resources which are inadequate to address 

 difficult non-point source management issues. Other Bay Project research efforts 

 show that local planning capability is strongly correlated with development 

 of effective non-point source control programs. 



Even where professional planning capability is available, communication among 

 local officials within municipalities is frequently insufficient. Boards may be 

 unaware of other town bodies' regulations, or may adopt contradictory policies. 

 Ordinances are not consistentiy supponed by the specific regulatory langtiage of applicable 

 boards or of related municipal by-laws. 



State regulatory tools which have been made available are often 

 incompletely utilized. Local provisions rarely go beyond the authority that 

 state regulatory agencies exercise in practice. Especially where environmental 

 controls are concerned, municipalities see themselves as organs of the state whose primary 

 function is limited to increasing the potential efficiency of state initiatives. Certain local 

 governments actively concerned with resource protection, however, feel insufficientiy 

 supported by state policy and practice. Towns look to CRMC, in particular, with its 

 ecosystem protection mandate, to provide a strict regulatory interpretation which supports 

 aggressive local action. 



It is extremely important that towns make clear commitments to sound 

 planning and sound wastewater management, using available land use 

 regulatory authority to the maximum extent possible to implement non-point 

 source controls. Wastewater Management Districts should be put in place as a key 

 aspect of implementation. In areas unsuited to use of ISDS, lot sizing or other land 

 management controls should be used to ensure adequate protection of water resources. To 

 support local initiative, and to encourage consistent attention to resource protection needs, 

 the Division of Planning and CRMC should prepare specific standards and requirements 

 for revision of town comprehensive plans, including requirements for development of land 

 use controls which are consistent with CRMCs coastal ecosystem protection mandate. 



With regard to both state and local regulations, effectiveness is heavily dependent upon 

 local building inspectors' interpretation of requirements, their commitment to ensuring tiiat 

 requirements are met, and the resources and time which are available to undertake 

 inspections. Building inspectors should be licensed, as outiined above. A new 

 municipal professional position (Environmental Officer) needs to be 

 established in most communities to provide technical inspection and permit 



14 



