2018 -- S 2511

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LC004927

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - SHELLFISH GROUNDS

     

     Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Miller, Coyne, Conley, and Sheehan

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2018

     Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture

     (Environmental Management)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 20-8.1-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 20-8.1 entitled "Shellfish

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Grounds" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     20-8.1-4. Factors considered in determining polluted areas.

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     In making a determination that an area is polluted, the director shall take into

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consideration ensure consistency with the requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation

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Program one or more of the following matters as they apply: the volume of sewage that may

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affect the area; the dilution of that sewage by clean water; the distance of the area from sources of

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pollution; the "most probable number" of fecal coliform bacteria found upon examining the water

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from the area, in accordance with the National Shellfish Sanitation Programs Manual of

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Operations exceeds 14 per one hundred milliliters (100 ml) of water, for a three-tube (3) decimal

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dilution test, or exceeds 49 per 100 ml of water for a three-tube (3) decimal dilution test for more

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than ten percent (10%) of the samples. When necessary, for consistency with National Shellfish

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Sanitation Program requirements The the director may declare an area to be polluted in the

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absence of a "most probable number" of fecal coliforms monitoring data if the director has

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evidence that significant volumes of raw sewage or inadequately purified sewage may reach the

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area the area may become polluted. A review of the status of all the areas in the state shall be

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made by the director on at least an annual basis.

 

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - SHELLFISH GROUNDS

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     This act would ensure compliance with the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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