PART 3: APPROACHING NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION VIA 

 LAND USE MANAGEMENT 



3.1 MANAGEMENT OF COASTAL TAND A ND WATER USES: THE 

 ROLE OF CRMC 



Introduction 



In 1971, prior to federal legislative action in tiie coastal management area, the Rhode 

 Island General Assembly formed an autonomous state regulatory agency to address 

 resource protection in the coastal zone. The following year, the U.S. Congress enacted the 

 Coastal ^ne Management Act, which set up a grant program to encourage participation in 

 a nationwide effort to provide consistent coastal area protection and management. Under a 

 cycle of "planning" and "implementation" grants made available through NCAA's Office of 

 Coastal Zone Management (now Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management), 

 Rhode Island has proceeded with program implementation. 



The following sections discuss factors which constrain or contribute to Rhode Island's 

 success in meeting the broad ecosystem management mandate set out in its landmark 1971 

 coastal protection legislation. These sections concentrate on issues affecting CRMC's 

 exercise of its specific responsibilities, particularly as they affect land use and water area 

 use decision-making. This analysis, and accompanying recommendations, are intended to 

 be reviewed in concert with CRMC program findings and source management 

 recommendations presented in other sections organized by source category. 



The State of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Program As Amended June 

 28. 1983. known informally as tiie Red Book, sets out a "pro-active" and "layered" 

 approach to coastal zone management based on evaluation of both project character and 

 location. The method is intended to give the Council staff a means of assessing the impacts 

 of similar or identical projects at different sites, to judge the appropriateness of various uses 

 in specific coastal settings. Theoretically, land uses can be segregated according to 

 appropriateness in such a way that development is encouraged in areas of lesser impact, 

 while conservation use is fostered in sensitive areas. 



CRMCs coastal management mandate is set out in its enabling legislation and includes 

 the following procedural requirements: 



1. Identify all of the state's coastal resources: water, submerged lands, air space, 

 finfish, shellfish, minerals, physiographic features, etc. 



2. Evaluate these resources in terms of their quantity, quality, capability for use, and 

 other key characteristics. 



3. Describe the current and potential uses of each resource. 



4. Determine the current and potential problems of each resource. 



5. Formulate plans and programs for the management of each resource, identify 

 permitted uses, locations, protection measures, etc. 



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