H. R. 193
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the sixth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine
An Act
To designate a portion of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers as a component
of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord
Wild and Scenic River Act’’.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF SUDBURY, ASSABET, AND CONCORD SCENIC
AND RECREATIONAL RIVERS, MASSACHUSETTS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic
River Study Act (title VII of Public Law 101–628; 104 Stat.
4497)—
(A) designated segments of the Sudbury, Assabet, and
Concord Rivers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
totaling 29 river miles, for study and potential addition
to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; and
(B) directed the Secretary of the Interior to establish
the 
Sudbury, 
Assabet, 
and 
Concord 
Rivers 
Study
Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Study Com-
mittee’’) to advise the Secretary in conducting the study
and in the consideration of management alternatives
should the rivers be included in the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System.
(2) The study determined the following river segments are
eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers
System based on their free-flowing condition and outstanding
scenic, recreation, wildlife, cultural, and historic values:
(A) The 16.6-mile segment of the Sudbury River
beginning at the Danforth Street Bridge in the town of
Framingham, to its confluence with the Assabet River.
(B) The 4.4-mile segment of the Assabet River from
1,000 feet downstream from the Damon Mill Dam in the
town of Concord to the confluence with the Sudbury River
at Egg Rock in Concord.
(C) The 8-mile segment of the Concord River from
Egg Rock at the confluence of the Sudbury and Assabet
Rivers to the Route 3 bridge in the town of Billerica.
(3) The towns that directly abut the segments, including
Framingham, Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, Concord, Bedford,
Carlisle, and Billerica, Massachusetts, have each demonstrated
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their desire for National Wild and Scenic River designation
through town meeting votes endorsing designation.
(4) During the study, the Study Committee and the
National Park Service prepared a comprehensive management
plan for the segment, entitled ‘‘Sudbury, Assabet and Concord
Wild and Scenic River Study, River Conservation Plan’’ and
dated March 16, 1995 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘plan’’),
which establishes objectives, standards, and action programs
that will ensure long-term protection of the rivers’ outstanding
values and compatible management of their land and water
resources.
(5) The Study Committee voted unanimously on February
23, 1995, to recommend that the Congress include these seg-
ments in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System for
management in accordance with the plan.
(b) DESIGNATION.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new paragraph:
‘‘(160) SUDBURY, ASSABET, AND CONCORD RIVERS, MASSACHU-
SETTS.—(A) The 29 miles of river segments in Massachusetts, as
follows:
‘‘(i) The 14.9-mile segment of the Sudbury River beginning
at the Danforth Street Bridge in the town of Framingham,
downstream to the Route 2 Bridge in Concord, as a scenic
river.
‘‘(ii) The 1.7-mile segment of the Sudbury River from the
Route 2 Bridge downstream to its confluence with the Assabet
River at Egg Rock, as a recreational river.
‘‘(iii) The 4.4-mile segment of the Assabet River beginning
1,000 feet downstream from the Damon Mill Dam in the town
of Concord, to its confluence with the Sudbury River at Egg
Rock in Concord; as a recreational river.
‘‘(iv) The 8-mile segment of the Concord River from Egg
Rock at the confluence of the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers
downstream to the Route 3 Bridge in the town of Billerica,
as a recreational river.
‘‘(B) The segments referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be
administered by the Secretary of the Interior in cooperation with
the SUASCO River Stewardship Council provided for in the plan
referred to in subparagraph (C) through cooperative agreements
under section 10(e) between the Secretary and the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts and its relevant political subdivisions (including
the towns of Framingham, Wayland, Sudbury, Lincoln, Concord,
Carlisle, Bedford, and Billerica).
‘‘(C) The segments referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be
managed in accordance with the plan entitled ‘Sudbury, Assabet
and Concord Wild and Scenic River Study, River Conservation
Plan’, dated March 16, 1995. The plan is deemed to satisfy the
requirement for a comprehensive management plan under sub-
section (d) of this section.’’.
(c) FEDERAL ROLE IN MANAGEMENT.—(1) The Director of the
National Park Service or the Director’s designee shall represent
the Secretary of the Interior in the implementation of the plan,
this section, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with respect
to each of the segments designated by the amendment made by
subsection (b), including the review of proposed federally assisted
water resources projects that could have a direct and adverse effect
H. R. 193—3
on the values for which the segment is established, as authorized
under section 7(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C.
1278(a)).
(2) Pursuant to sections 10(e) and section 11(b)(1) of the Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(e), 1282(b)(1)), the Director
shall offer to enter into cooperative agreements with the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts, its relevant political subdivisions, the
Sudbury Valley Trustees, and the Organization for the Assabet
River. Such cooperative agreements shall be consistent with the
plan and may include provisions for financial or other assistance
from the United States to facilitate the long-term protection, con-
servation, and enhancement of each of the segments designated
by the amendment made by subsection (b).
(3) The Director may provide technical assistance, staff support,
and funding to assist in the implementation of the plan, except
that the total cost to the Federal Government of activities to imple-
ment the plan may not exceed $100,000 each fiscal year.
(4) Notwithstanding section 10(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), any portion of a segment designated by
the amendment made by subsection (b) that is not already within
the National Park System shall not under this section—
(A) become a part of the National Park System;
(B) be managed by the National Park Service; or
(C) be subject to regulations which govern the National
Park System.
(d) WATER RESOURCES PROJECTS.—(1) In determining whether
a proposed water resources project would have a direct and adverse
effect on the values for which the segments designated by the
amendment made by subsection (b) were included in the National
Wild and Scenic Rivers System, the Secretary of the Interior shall
specifically consider the extent to which the project is consistent
with the plan.
(2) The plan, including the detailed Water Resources Study
incorporated by reference in the plan and such additional analysis
as may be incorporated in the future, shall serve as the primary
source of information regarding the flows needed to maintain
instream resources and potential compatibility between resource
protection and possible additional water withdrawals.
(e) LAND MANAGEMENT.—(1) The zoning bylaws of the towns
of Framingham, Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, Concord, Carlisle, Bed-
ford, and Billerica, Massachusetts, as in effect on the date of enact-
ment of this Act, are deemed to satisfy the standards and require-
ments under section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic rivers Act (16
U.S.C. 1277(c)). For the purpose of that section, the towns are
deemed to be ‘‘villages’’ and the provisions of that section which
prohibit Federal acquisition of lands through condemnation shall
apply.
(2) The United States Government shall not acquire by any
means title to land, easements, or other interests in land along
the segments designated by the amendment made by subsection
(b) or their tributaries for the purposes of designation of the seg-
ments under the amendment. Nothing in this section shall prohibit
Federal acquisition of interests in land along those segments or
tributaries under other laws for other purposes.
(f ) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out
this section not to exceed $100,000 for each fiscal year.
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(g) 
EXISTING
UNDESIGNATED
PARAGRAPHS; 
REMOVAL
OF
DUPLICATION.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16
U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended—
(1) by striking the first undesignated paragraph after para-
graph (156), relating to Elkhorn Creek, Oregon; and
(2) by designating the three remaining undesignated para-
graphs after paragraph (156) as paragraphs (157), (158), and
(159), respectively.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.