CRMC's Special Area Management Plans
Grover Fugate, Executive Director
RI Coastal Resources Management Council
Grover Fugate earned undergraduate degrees in natural resource management from the University of Connecticut and in public administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He earned an MBA from Memorial University. Fugate has worked at CRMC since 1986. He is a guest lecturer at URI and Roger Williams University and is a trainer for integrated coastal management at the URI Coastal Resources Center.
In 1977, in response to growing concern about
the apparent degradation of water quality in the salt ponds, the RI Coastal
Resources Management Council (CRMC) held a public workshop in Charlestown, Rhode
Island, to discuss ideas for state policies and regulations to protect and manage
coastal areas and their uses. This was the first time that residents and local
officials publicly voiced their concerns for the salt ponds and their ideas
for avoiding further degradation. Public interest provided the impetus for a
pilot project that resulted in the publication of an ecological history of the
salt ponds entitled An Elusive Compromise: Rhode Island Coastal Ponds and
Their People, by Virginia Lee (Coastal Resources Center).
At that time, formerly abundant fish and shellfish
stocks were disappearing and others were declining. Jetties were causing sedimentation
within the salt ponds. Many ponds did not have safe access to the ocean, and
delta formation was altering water circulation, causing further sedimentation
of large areas.
Water pollution seemed to be more widespread
than in the past; bacterial contamination was a threat to larger shellfishing
areas; and eutrophic conditions were degrading fish and shellfish habitats and
the scenic quality of the ponds.
The ecosystem's capacity to absorb waste and
provide potable drinking water was being threatened by increased development.
Farmlands and woodlands that provided character and beauty were being sacrificed
for new residential development.
Hurricanes were a recurring problem for the south
shore. Finally, competition among aquaculture, commercial and recreational fisheries,
recreational boating, and other uses required management.
A major four-year inter-disciplinary research
project funded primarily by RI Sea Grant and CRMC was undertaken from 1978 to
1982. The issues raised in 1977 were evaluated, the conditions of the salt ponds
were documented, and major trends were described. Results from this study were
the foundation for the Salt Pond Region Special Area Management Plan (SAMP),
a watershed-based plan and regulatory document. (see
"Creating SAMP.")
SAMP recognized how water quality, land use,
habitat, storm hazards, and geology all interact on an ecosystem level to impact
the health of the salt ponds.
The salt ponds are coastal lagoons---shallow,
productive marine embayments separated from the ocean by barrier spits. Although
the physical characteristics vary among salt ponds, all provide important ecosystem
and habitat functions, including prime habitat for commercial and recreational
fin and shellfish, resting and feeding stops for water fowl migrating along
the Atlantic flyway, and protected waters for a variety of human uses. A commercial
fishing port, the Block Island ferry terminal, wind surfing, boating, fishing,
water skiing, and the enjoyment of nature are all supported by the salt ponds.
The ponds are an important factor in the quality of life for local residents
and a prime recreational attraction for tourists in the region.
SAMP is part of CRMC's ongoing responsibility
under both state and federal laws. CRMC has been empowered by a Rhode Island
statute to develop management programs for the protection and enhancement of
the state's coastal resources.
The development of the Salt Pond SAMP, adopted
by CRMC in 1984, incorporated a diversity of management issues into a strategy
anchored in CRMC's mandate "to preserve, protect, develop, and, where possible,
restore the coastal resources of the state." The geographic focus of the
plan was the watershed of the individual ponds, including the barrier beaches
that separate the salt ponds from the ocean. A central purpose of SAMP was to
coordinate a management strategy that independent regulatory programs would
contribute to.
The primary focus of the initial SAMP was water
quality. The major water pollution problems in the region were directly related
to the density and distribution of development within the watersheds of the
salt ponds.
SAMP also addressed the pressure to develop lots
with wetlands, poor drainage, 10 percent or greater slopes, and high flood zones.
Zoning recommendations were made to the towns. Other controls included local
soil erosion and sediment control ordinances; Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) construction setbacks and standards; CRMC setbacks, prohibitions, and
permit stipulations regarding structure placement; and wetland restrictions
and drainage requirements.
SAMP is effective because local communities complied
with the recommended two-acre minimum housing lot size. Potential increase in
building density in the salt pond watersheds was reduced dramatically. Local
municipalities also agreed to uphold CRMC policies and standards regarding land-use,
storm-water, individual septic disposal systems, construction, and other resource
management issues, for projects that are not subject to CRMC authority.
CRMC addressed pollution issues by requiring
denitrification units in areas around the ponds, requiring buffer zones, and
applying soil erosion and storm-water management standards. CRMC initiated harbor
management planning to help municipalities organize mooring fields.
The Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land
Use Regulation Act requires towns to complete comprehensive plans. The Land
Development and Subdivision Review Enabling Act of 1992 provides for a joint
pre-application review of major land development or subdivision applications.
These land-use management tools are a single, integrated approach to state oversight
of local land and water uses.