Senate OKs package of Sosnowski bills that would address safety of dams throughout state
The Senate today passed a package of bills
introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New
Shoreham) that looks to improve the safety of dams throughout the state.
RI DEM photo
The legislation is the result of an annual report from
the Department of Environmental Management on dam safety. Each of the bills
addresses a different issue that was raised as an area of concern in the
report.
The first bill (2022-S 2294) would amend dam safety standards to
require the State Building Code Standards Committee to take into account the
effect of climate change on inundation areas below dams classified as high,
significant, or low hazard.
“This
addresses construction in inundation areas downstream from dams, and also is a
good opportunity to educate people about those dams and the property damage
that could result if that dam were to fail,” said Senator Sosnowski. “This
would help property owners to think about how they would proceed with any
construction in those areas.”
The second bill (2022-S 2295) would authorize the Department of Environmental Management to assess administrative penalties for failure to comply with emergency action plans relative to significant or high hazard dams and would mandate that the department and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency establish a notification system in the event of severe weather conditions consisting of dam advisories, dam watches and dam warnings.
The
third bill (2022-S 2297A) would establish a fund for the
purpose of facilitating the repair or removal of high hazard or significant
hazard dams that are unsafe when the dam is classified as an orphan or
insolvent dam. The state would have the right of cost recovery against any dam
owner for all sums of money expended by the fund plus reasonable attorneys’
fees and costs of litigation.
“The
state has a number of dams whose ownership is a mystery due to how long ago
they were built,” said Senator Sosnowski. “There are other owners of
problematic dams who just don’t have the financial means to carry out repairs,
yet those repairs need to be done for purposes of public safety and property
protection. This fund would allow the state to assess and repair those dams so
they don’t pose a threat to people or property downstream.”
The
measures now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.
