Rhode Island General Laws Title 46. Waters and Navigation § 46-23.2-2. Legislative findings

(a) The general assembly finds and declares that there is a need for an environmental monitoring system in the state that is capable of:

(b) The general assembly recognizes and declares that the health of the waters of the state, including, but not limited to, Narragansett Bay and its watersheds needs to be monitored comprehensively on a long-term basis in order to be proactive in planning and responsive to potential problems in the environment, including those that may arise due to a changing climate. The availability of consistent environmental data supports planning and management and provides resource managers, decision-makers and citizens with information on how marine and freshwater habitats are responding to management programs and what adjustments need to be made to existing programs or what new programs must be implemented to achieve healthy marine and freshwater environments.

(c) The general assembly recognizes the need for an integrated mechanism by which individual monitoring efforts can be coordinated and managed as a system in which the functionality of Narragansett Bay, its watersheds and other watersheds are measured and individual planning and management efforts are adjusted to respond to support effective environmental management.