​General Assembly OKs Sosnowski, Chippendale bill to create Rhode Island Lake Management Program

2024 Legislation | Printer Friendly 

STATE HOUSE -- The General Assembly today passed legislation introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski and House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale that would create the Rhode Island Lake Management Program.

The bill (2024-S 2153A, 2024-H 8093) would create a restricted receipt account to aid with lake and pond management issues relating to the control of invasive aquatic plants.

“Local wetlands are being threatened by invasive aquatic weeds,” said Senator Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown). “The situation is becoming worse with warming temperatures, and it’s creating biological imbalance in these freshwater bodies. We have to be proactive to protect our lakes, which provide us with recreation, flood mitigation and an important habitat to plants and animals. This bill would be a first step to start a program at the Department of Environmental Management.”

Conditions in many Rhode Island lakes, ponds and tributaries are threatened or degraded by the growth of aquatic invasive plants, harmful algal blooms, nutrient enrichment and other water pollution problems. Restoring conditions in the state’s freshwater resources is essential to sustaining the valuable ecosystem services they provide.

“Our ponds are filled with invasive weeds that are not indigenous to the state, that we’ve attempted to control through various efforts,” said Representative Chippendale (R-Dist. 40, Foster, Glocester, Coventry). “This will facilitate the ability of some great volunteer organizations, such as Save the Lakes, to work with the Department of Environmental Management for technical expertise, guidance on best practices for the removal and mitigation of invasive aquatic species.”

The measure now moves to the governor’s office.

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