IB
Union Calendar No. 238
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2815
[Report No. 103–430]
To designate a portion of the Farmington River in Connecticut as a
component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 30, 1993
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut (for herself, Mrs. KENNELLY, Mr. GEJDENSON,
Ms. DELAURO, Mr. SHAYS, and Mr. FRANKS of Connecticut) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources
MARCH 10, 1994
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 30, 1993]
A BILL
To designate a portion of the Farmington River in Connecti-
cut as a component of the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Farmington Wild and
Scenic River Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) Public Law 99–590 authorized the study of
2 segments of the West Branch of the Farmington
River, including an 11-mile headwater segment in
Massachusetts and the uppermost 14-mile segment in
Connecticut, for potential inclusion in the National
Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and created the
Farmington River Study Committee, consisting of
representatives from the 2 States, the towns bordering
the 2 segments, and other river interests, to advise the
Secretary of the Interior in conducting the study and
concerning management alternatives should the river
be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers
System;
(2) the study determined that both segments of
the river are eligible for inclusion in the National
Wild and Scenic Rivers System based upon their free-
flowing condition and outstanding fisheries, recre-
ation, wildlife, and historic values;
(3) the towns that directly abut the Connecticut
segment (Hartland, Barkhamsted, New Hartford, and
Canton), as well as the Town of Colebrook, which
abuts the segment’s major tributary, have dem-
onstrated their desire for national wild and scenic
river designation through town meeting actions en-
dorsing designation; in addition, the 4 abutting towns
have demonstrated their commitment to protect the
river through the adoption of ‘‘river protection over-
lay districts’’, which establish a uniform setback for
new structures, new septic systems, sand and gravel
extraction, and vegetation removal along the entire
length of the Connecticut segment;
(4) during the study, the Farmington River
Study Committee and the National Park Service pre-
pared a comprehensive management plan for the Con-
necticut segment (the ‘‘Upper Farmington River
Management Plan’’, dated April 29, 1993) which es-
tablishes objectives, standards, and action programs
that will ensure long-term protection of the river’s
outstanding values and compatible management of its
land and water resources, without Federal manage-
ment of affected lands not owned by the United
States;
(5) the Farmington River Study Committee
voted unanimously on April 29, 1993, to adopt the
Upper Farmington River Management Plan and to
recommend that Congress include the Connecticut seg-
ment in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
in accordance with the spirit and provisions of the
Upper Farmington River Management Plan, and to
recommend that, in the absence of town votes support-
ing designation, no action be taken regarding wild
and scenic river designation of the Massachusetts seg-
ment; and
(6) the Colebrook Dam and Goodwin Dam hy-
droelectric projects are located outside the river seg-
ment designated by section 3, and the study of the
Farmington River pursuant to Public Law 99–590
determined that continuation of existing operations of
these projects as presently configured, together with
associated transmission lines and other existing
project works, is not incompatible with the designa-
tion made by section 3 and will not unreasonably di-
minish the scenic, recreational, and fish and wildlife
values of the segment designated by such section as of
the date of enactment of this Act; therefore, section
7(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will not pre-
clude the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
from licensing or relicensing (or exempting from li-
censing) the continued operations of such projects as
presently configured or with changes in configuration
that the Secretary determines would be consistent
with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Plan.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION.
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16
U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding the following new
paragraph at the end thereof:
‘‘( ) FARMINGTON RIVER, CONNECTICUT.—The 14-
mile segment of the West Branch and mainstem extending
from immediately below the Goodwin Dam and Hydro-
electric Project in Hartland, Connecticut, to the down-
stream end of the New Hartford-Canton, Connecticut, town
line (hereinafter in this paragraph referred to as the ‘seg-
ment’), as a recreational river, to be administered by the
Secretary of the Interior through cooperative agreements be-
tween the Secretary of the Interior and the State of Con-
necticut and its relevant political subdivisions, namely the
Towns of Colebrook, Hartland, Barkhamsted, New Hart-
ford, and Canton and the Hartford Metropolitan District
Commission, pursuant to section 10(e) of this Act. The seg-
ment shall be managed in accordance with the Upper
Farmington River Management Plan, dated April 29, 1993,
and such amendments thereto as the Secretary of the Inte-
rior determines are consistent with this Act. Such plan shall
be deemed to satisfy the requirement for a comprehensive
management plan pursuant to section 3(d) of this Act.’’.