I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 319 

To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain river segments 

within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as components of the National 

Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2019 

Mr. LANGEVIN (for himself, Mr. COURTNEY, and Mr. CICILLINE) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate 

certain river segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as components of the National Wild and Scenic 

Rivers System, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wood-Pawcatuck Wa5 tershed Wild and Scenic River Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. WOOD-PAWCATUCK WATERSHED WILD AND SCENIC 

2 RIVER SEGMENTS. 

3 (a) DESIGNATION.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and 

4 Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by add5 ing at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(214) WOOD-PAWCATUCK WATERSHED, RHODE

7 ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT.—The following river 

8 segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed, to 

9 be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, in 

10 cooperation with the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Sce11 nic Rivers Stewardship Council: 

12 ‘‘(A) The approximately 11-mile segment 

13 of the Beaver River from its headwaters in Exe14 ter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to its 

15 confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Rich16 mond, Rhode Island, as a scenic river. 

17 ‘‘(B) The approximately 3-mile segment of 

18 the Chipuxet River from the Kingstown Road 

19 Bridge, South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to its 

20 outlet in Worden Pond, as a wild river. 

21 ‘‘(C) The approximately 9-mile segment of 

22 the Green Fall River from its headwaters in 

23 Voluntown, Connecticut, to its confluence with 

24 the Ashaway River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, 

25 as a scenic river. 


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1 ‘‘(D) The approximately 3-mile segment of 

2 the Ashaway River from its confluence with the 

3 Green Fall River to its confluence with the 

4 Pawcatuck River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, 

5 as a recreational river. 

6 ‘‘(E) The approximately 3-mile segment of 

7 the Pawcatuck River from the Worden Pond 

8 outlet in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the 

9 South County Trail Bridge, Charlestown and 

10 South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as a wild river. 

11 ‘‘(F) The approximately 4-mile segment of 

12 the Pawcatuck River from South County Trail 

13 Bridge, Charlestown and South Kingstown, 

14 Rhode Island, to the Carolina Back Road 

15 Bridge in Richmond and Charlestown, Rhode 

16 Island, as a recreational river. 

17 ‘‘(G) The approximately 21-mile segment 

18 of the Pawcatuck River from Carolina Back 

19 Road Bridge in Richmond and Charlestown, 

20 Rhode Island, to the confluence with Shunock 

21 River in Stonington, Connecticut, as a scenic 

22 river. 

23 ‘‘(H) The approximately 8-mile segment of 

24 the Pawcatuck River from the confluence with 

25 Shunock River in Stonington, Connecticut, to 


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1 the mouth of the river between Pawcatuck 

2 Point in Stonington, Connecticut, and Rhodes 

3 Point in Westerly, Rhode Island, as a rec4 reational river. 

5 ‘‘(I) The approximately 11-mile segment of 

6 the Queen River from its headwaters in Exeter 

7 and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the 

8 Kingstown Road Bridge in South Kingstown, 

9 Rhode Island, as a scenic river. 

10 ‘‘(J) The approximately 5-mile segment of 

11 the Usquepaugh River from the Kingstown 

12 Road Bridge to its confluence with the 

13 Pawcatuck River in South Kingstown, Rhode 

14 Island, as a wild river. 

15 ‘‘(K) The approximately 8-mile segment of 

16 the Shunock River from its headwaters in 

17 North Stonington, Connecticut, to its con18 fluence with the Pawcatuck River as a rec19 reational river. 

20 ‘‘(L) The approximately 13-mile segment 

21 of the Wood River from its headwaters in Ster22 ling and Voluntown, Connecticut, and Exeter 

23 and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the Ar24 cadia Road Bridge in Hopkinton and Rich25 mond, Rhode Island, as a wild river. 


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1 ‘‘(M) The approximately 11-mile segment 

2 of the Wood River from the Arcadia Road 

3 Bridge in Hopkinton and Richmond, Rhode Is4 land, to the confluence with the Pawcatuck 

5 River in Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Rich6 mond, Rhode Island, as a recreational river.’’. 

7 (b) MANAGEMENT OF RIVER SEGMENTS.— 

8 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

9 (A) COVERED TRIBUTARY.—The term 

10 ‘‘covered tributary’’ means— 

11 (i) each of Assekonk Brook, 

12 Breakheart Brook, Brushy Brook, 

13 Canochet Brook, Chickasheen Brook, 

14 Cedar Swamp Brook, Fisherville Brook, 

15 Glade Brook, Glen Rock Brook, Kelly 

16 Brook, Locke Brook, Meadow Brook, Pen17 dleton Brook, Parris Brook, Passquisett 

18 Brook, Phillips Brook, Poquiant Brook, 

19 Queens Fort Brook, Roaring Brook, Sher20 man Brook, Taney Brook, Tomaquag 

21 Brook, White Brook, and Wyassup Brook 

22 within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed; 

23 and 

24 (ii) any other perennial stream within 

25 the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed. 


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1 (B) RIVER SEGMENT.—The term ‘‘river 

2 segment’’ means a river segment designated by 

3 paragraph (214) of section 3(a) of the Wild and 

4 Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) (as 

5 added by subsection (a)). 

6 (C) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

7 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

8 (D) STEWARDSHIP PLAN.—The term 

9 ‘‘Stewardship Plan’’ means the plan entitled the 

10 ‘‘Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers 

11 Stewardship Plan for the Beaver, Chipuxet, 

12 Green Fall-Ashaway, Pawcatuck, Queen13 Usquepaugh, Shunock, and Wood Rivers’’ and 

14 dated June 2018, which takes a watershed ap15 proach to the management of the river seg16 ments. 

17 (2) WOOD-PAWCATUCK WILD AND SCENIC RIV18 ERS STEWARDSHIP PLAN.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in co20 operation with the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and 

21 Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, shall man22 age the river segments in accordance with— 

23 (i) the Stewardship Plan; and 


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1 (ii) any amendment to the Steward2 ship Plan that the Secretary determines is 

3 consistent with this subsection. 

4 (B) WATERSHED APPROACH.—In further5 ance of the watershed approach to resource 

6 preservation and enhancement described in the 

7 Stewardship Plan, the covered tributaries are 

8 recognized as integral to the protection and en9 hancement of the river segments. 

10 (C) REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPREHENSIVE

11 MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The Stewardship Plan 

12 shall be considered to satisfy each requirement 

13 for a comprehensive management plan required 

14 under section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Riv15 ers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)). 

16 (3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—To provide 

17 for the long-term protection, preservation, and en18 hancement of each river segment, in accordance with 

19 sections 10(e) and 11(b)(1) of the Wild and Scenic 

20 Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(e), 1282(b)(1)), the 

21 Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 

22 (which may include provisions for financial or other 

23 assistance from the Federal Government) with— 

24 (A) the States of Connecticut and Rhode 

25 Island; 


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1 (B) political subdivisions of the States of 

2 Connecticut and Rhode Island, including— 

3 (i) the towns of North Stonington, 

4 Sterling, Stonington, and Voluntown, Con5 necticut; and 

6 (ii) the towns of Charlestown, Exeter, 

7 Hopkinton, North Kingstown, Richmond, 

8 South Kingstown, Westerly, and West 

9 Kingstown, Rhode Island; 

10 (C) the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic 

11 Rivers Stewardship Council; and 

12 (D) any appropriate nonprofit organiza13 tion, as determined by the Secretary. 

14 (4) RELATION TO NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.— 

15 Notwithstanding section 10(c) of the Wild and Sce16 nic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), each river seg17 ment shall not be— 

18 (A) administered as a unit of the National 

19 Park System; or 

20 (B) subject to the laws (including regula21 tions) that govern the administration of the Na22 tional Park System. 

23 (5) LAND MANAGEMENT.— 

24 (A) ZONING ORDINANCES.—The zoning or25 dinances adopted by the towns of North 


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1 Stonington, Sterling, Stonington, and 

2 Voluntown, Connecticut, and Charlestown, Exe3 ter, Hopkinton, North Kingstown, Richmond, 

4 South Kingstown, Westerly, and West Green5 wich, Rhode Island (including any provision of 

6 the zoning ordinances relating to the conserva7 tion of floodplains, wetlands, and watercourses 

8 associated with any river segment), shall be 

9 considered to satisfy the standards and require10 ments described in section 6(c) of the Wild and 

11 Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)). 

12 (B) VILLAGES.—For purposes of section 

13 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 

14 U.S.C. 1277(c)), each town described in sub15 paragraph (A) shall be considered to be a vil16 lage. 

17 (C) ACQUISITION OF LAND.— 

18 (i) LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY OF

19 SECRETARY.—With respect to each river 

20 segment, the Secretary may only acquire 

21 parcels of land— 

22 (I) by donation; or 

23 (II) with the consent of the 

24 owner of the parcel of land. 


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1 (ii) PROHIBITION RELATING TO THE

2 ACQUISITION OF LAND BY CONDEMNA3 TION.—In accordance with 6(c) of the 

4 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 

5 1277(c)), with respect to each river seg6 ment, the Secretary may not acquire any 

7 parcel of land by condemnation. 

Æ 


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