Rhode Island Code of Regulations
Title 650 - Coastal Resources Management Council
Chapter 20 - Coastal Management Program
Subchapter 00 - N/A
Part 2 - Coastal Resources Management Program-Rules and Regulations Governing the Protection and Management of Freshwater Wetlands in the Vicinity of the Coast
Section 650-RICR-20-00-2.4 - Definitions (formerly Section 4.00)

1. "Accessory structure" means a structure that has an ancillary or supplementary function to the main use of the property. Accessory structures include amateur radio towers; flag poles; swing sets; slides; decks; patios; gardens; sheds; in-ground or above-ground swimming pools; fences that do not span or obstruct public access to rivers, streams, and other waterbodies (along and within boundaries or areas such as existing home lawns and driveways); treehouses; drinking water wells with a volume of withdrawal no greater than 500 gallons a day; walls; stairs; walks; and pervious driveways.

2. "Act" means the Fresh Water Wetlands Act as set forth in R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 2-1-18 through 2-1-25, inclusive, as from time to time amended.

3. "Alter" and "Alteration" means to change (act of changing) the character of a freshwater wetland as a result of activities within or outside of the wetland. Such activities include but are not limited to the following: Excavating; draining; filling; placing trash, garbage, sewage, road runoff, drainage ditch effluent, earth, rock, borrow, gravel, sand, clay, peat, or other materials or effluents upon; diverting water flows into or out of; diking; damming; diverting; clearing; grading; constructing in; adding to or taking from; or other activities that individually or cumulatively change the character of any freshwater wetland.

4. "Aquatic base flow" or "ABF" means minimum river or stream flow conditions necessary to sustain indigenous aquatic fauna and flora, determined as follows:

5. "Area of land within fifty feet" or "Perimeter wetland" means a freshwater wetland consisting of the area of land within fifty feet (50') of the edge of any freshwater wetland consisting in part, or in whole, of a bog, marsh, swamp or pond, as defined by these Rules. For purposes of identification, this area shall be measured horizontally, without regard for topography, from the edge of such a wetland.

6. "Area subject to flooding" or "ASF" means, but not be limited to, flood plains, depressions or low-lying areas flooded by rivers, streams, intermittent streams, or areas subject to storm flowage which collect, hold or meter out storm and flood waters.

7. "Area subject to storm flowage" or "ASSF" means drainage swales and channels that lead into, out of, pass through or connect other freshwater wetlands or coastal wetlands, and that carry flows resulting from storm events, but may remain relatively dry at other times.

8. "Best management practices" or "BMPs" means generally accepted practices, procedures and management techniques that include, but are not limited to, schedules of activities, prohibitions, maintenance procedures, structural and non-structural methods, and other management approaches to prevent or minimize any reduction of the functions and values associated with freshwater wetlands.

9. "Bog" means, consistent R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(1), a place where standing or slowly running water shall be near or at the surface during a normal growing season and/or where a vegetational community shall have over fifty percent (50%) of the ground or water surface covered with sphagnum moss (Sphagnum) and/or where the vegetational community shall be made up of one or more of, but not limited to nor necessarily including all of the following: blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium), leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), sundews (Drosera), orchids (Orchidaceae), white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), red maple (Acer rubrum), black spruce (Picea mariana), bog aster (Aster nemoralis), larch (Larix laricina), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), azaleas (Rhododendron), laurels (Kalmia), sedges (Carex), bog cotton (Eriophorum).

10. "Buffer zone" means an area of undeveloped vegetated land retained in its natural undisturbed condition, or created to resemble a naturally occurring vegetated area that mitigates the negative impact of human activities on wetland functions and values.

11. "Coastal feature" means any coastal beach; barrier island or spit; dune; coastal wetland; coastal headland, bluff or cliff; rocky shore, or; manmade shoreline, as defined in Part 1 of this Subchapter.

12. "Coastal resources management program" or "CRMP" means the coastal zone management program adopted by the state of Rhode Island in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 46-23 and approved under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. §§ 1451 through 1464).

13. "Completed application" means any application that in the opinion of the CRMC provides all of the requisite information necessary to process the application in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-22(a), these Rules, and the CRMC Management Procedures. For public notice purposes relating to an application to alter, the criteria for a completed application are set forth in §§ 2.10(B) and (C) of this Part.

14. "Council" or "CRMC" means the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.

15. "CRMC regulations" means the "Rules and Regulations Governing the Protection and Management of Freshwater Wetlands in the Vicinity of the Coast" adopted by the Coastal Resources Management Council pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 46-23-6.

16. "Cumulative impact" means the combined impact on the wetland environment and its functions and values which may result from past, present and future alterations to the same wetland system, regardless of what agency or person undertakes such alterations.

17. "Dam" and "Damming" means any barrier made by humans, including appurtenant works that impounds or diverts surface water. To impound water by means of a dam.

18. "Department" or "DEM" means the Department of Environmental Management.

19. "Detention facility" means a basin, depression, or other artificial structure excavated, constructed, or installed to intercept and temporarily store surface runoff and release the stored water at a controlled rate.

20. "Dike" means a berm or structure that impedes, redirects, diverts, or otherwise controls the flow or elevation of water.

21. "Director" means the Executive Director of the Coastal Resources Management Council or his or her duly authorized agent or agents and may be used interchangeably with CRMC or Council as appropriate.

22. "Drain" means to lower the surface water or groundwater elevation, either temporarily or on a permanent basis.

23. "Edge" means the line of intersection or division between:

24. "Emergent plant community" means a wetland characterized by erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytic vegetation that is present for most of the growing season in most years, and that may be persistent or non-persistent in nature.

25. "Excavate" means to dig into, cut, quarry, uncover, remove, displace, relocate, or grade any earth, soil, sand, gravel, rock, peat, organic, inorganic or any other similar material.

26. "Existing" means:

27. "Facultative wildlife species" means wildlife that utilize wetlands as habitat, but generally do not require wetlands for survival or reproduction.

28. "Farmer/Qualified farmer" (herein after Farmer) means: an individual, partnership or corporation that operates a farm and has filed a Form 1040F or comparable instrument with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, has a state of Rhode Island farm tax number, and has earned Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) gross income on farm products in each of the preceding four (4) years.

29. "Feasible" means capable of being done, executed, accomplished or brought about by engineering standards.

30. "Fill" means dirt, soil, stones, gravel, sand, sediment, tree stumps, brush, leaves, solid waste, debris, garbage, trash, grass clippings, pollutants, or any other material, substance, or structure placed in a freshwater wetland; or any action that places such material in a freshwater wetland.

31. "Flood plain" means as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(3), that land area adjacent to a river or stream or other flowing body of water that is, on average, likely to be covered with flood waters resulting from a one hundred (100) year frequency storm. A storm of this nature is one that is to be expected to be equaled or exceeded once in one hundred (100) years, and hence may be said to have a one percent (1%) probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Rainfall intensity data for such a storm are those established for New England locations by the National Weather Service (formerly the U.S. Weather Bureau).

32. "Floodway" means the channel of a river or stream and any immediately adjacent areas that must be kept free of encroachment to allow one hundred (100) year flood waters to be carried without increase in flood heights or flows and without endangering life or property.

33. "Flowing body of water" means any river, stream, or intermittent stream that flows long enough during the year to develop and maintain defined channels, and generally has flowing water at times other than those periods immediately following storm events. Such watercourses have defined banks, a bed, and maintain visible evidence of flow or continued reoccurrence of flowing water.

34. "Forested wetland" means a freshwater wetland dominated by woody plants (trees) greater than twenty feet (20') tall.

35. "Freshwater wetland" means, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(4), freshwater wetland includes:

36. "Freshwater wetlands in the vicinity of the Coast" means, consistent with the R.I. Gen. Laws § 46-23-6, freshwater wetlands seaward of the jurisdictional boundary that are regulated by the Coastal Resources Management Council in accordance with the "Rules and Regulations Governing the Protection and Management of Freshwater Wetlands in the Vicinity of the Coast."

37. "Growing season" means the period from April 1 to November 15 of any calendar year.

38. "Hydrophyte/Hydrophytic vegetation" means a plant or plant life that grows in water, or in or on a substrate that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of excessive water content.

39. "Insignificant alteration" means in the opinion of the Department, a proposed alteration, limited in scope, area or duration, which appears to result in no more than a minimal change or modification to the characteristics, functions or values of any freshwater wetland(s), and is not random, unnecessary or undesirable.

40. "In the vicinity of the coast" means those areas designated on maps under the jurisdiction of the CRMC and subject to these Rules and Regulations.

41. "Invasive species" means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health.

42. "Jurisdictional boundary" means the line determined by the Department and the Coastal Resources Management Council, pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 46-23-6, that designates areas of freshwater wetland jurisdiction. The jurisdictional boundary is depicted on original maps dated June 1997, revised April 2001 (effective September 2001) and June 2007, and maintained on file at the Department and the Coastal Resources Management Council.

43. "Lentic" means a habitat or ecosystem characterized by standing water.

44. "Lotic" means a habitat or ecosystem characterized by flowing water.

45. "Low-flow period" means under normal conditions, the period from July 1 to October 31 of any calendar year.

46. "Low hazard dam" means a dam where failure or misoperation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic losses.

47. "Management procedures" means the definitions and procedures adopted by the CRMC in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-35 and contained in the State of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Management Procedures.

48. "Marsh" means, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(5), a place not less than one (1) acre in extent wholly or partly within the State of Rhode Island where a vegetational community shall exist in standing or running water during the growing season and/or shall be made up of one or more of, but not limited to nor necessarily including all of the following plants or groups of plants: hydrophytic reeds (Phragmites), grasses (Gramineae), mannagrasses (Glyceria), cutgrasses (Leersia), pickerelweeds (Pontederiaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), rushes (Juncaceae), cattails (Typha), water plantains (Alismataceae), burreeds (Sparganiaceae), pondweeds (Zosteraceae), frog's bits (Hydrocharitaceae), arums (Araceae), duckweeds (Lemnaceae), water lilies (Nymphaeaceae), water-milfoils (Haloragaceae), water-starworts (Callitrichaceae), bladderworts (Utricularia), pipeworts (Eriocaulon), sweet gale (Myrica gale), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).

49. "Mitigate" or "Mitigation" means a process undertaken by single or cumulative actions to avoid or lessen the damaging effects of human activities upon freshwater wetlands and the functions and values that they provide prior to, during, or after the completion of any project.

50. "Near or at the surface" means, as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(6), within thirty-six inches (36") of the surface.

51. "Normal farming and ranching activities" means, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-22(i)(1), projects and activities carried out by farmers, including plowing, seeding, cultivating, land clearing for routine agriculture purposes, harvesting of agricultural products, pumping of existing farm ponds for agricultural purposes, upland soil and water conservation practices, and maintenance of existing farm drainage structures, existing farm ponds and existing farm roads, and any other activity determined by the Division of Agriculture to constitute a normal farming activity.

52. "Obligate wildlife species" means wildlife that depend upon freshwater wetlands for all or part of their life cycle.

53. "Open standing water" means surface water areas that are not dominated by persistent vegetative cover, specifically, where less than fifty percent (50%) of the water body surface is covered by persistent emergent vegetation, shrubs, or trees either as a single life form or in the aggregate.

54. "Perimeter wetland" means (See the definition of Area of Land within Fifty Feet (50'), § 2.4(A)(5) of this Part).

55. "Permit" means an authorization in the form of a document issued and signed by the CRMC, allowing the alteration of freshwater wetlands subject to specific terms and conditions.

56. "Person" means any individual; corporation; partnership; public utility; nonprofit organization; trust; unincorporated association; federal, state, county or local government, or any agency or subdivision thereof; or any other entity; or any combination of the foregoing.

57. "Pollutant" means any dredged material; solid waste; incinerator residue; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; sediment; filter backwash; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials; heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; dirt; industrial or municipal or agricultural wastes or effluent; petroleum or petroleum products including but not limited to oil; or any material which will likely alter any one or more of the following: the aesthetic, physical, chemical, biological or radiological characteristics or integrity of any freshwater wetland.

58. "Pollution" means the human-made or human-induced alteration of the aesthetic, physical, chemical, biological or radiological characteristics or integrity of any freshwater wetland as a result of the introduction of any pollutant to any freshwater wetland.

59. "Pond" means, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(7), a place not less than one-quarter (1/4) acre in extent, natural or manmade, wholly or partly within the State of Rhode Island, where open standing or slowly moving water shall be present for at least six (6) months a year.

60. "Project" - for the purpose of the Rules, the term project also indicates activities.

61. "Random, unnecessary, or undesirable alteration" means:

62. "Rare" means when used in the context of species or freshwater wetland types, those invertebrate and vertebrate animals or plant species or those freshwater wetland types that are listed as threatened, endangered, of special interest or of special concern under the Department's Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program; by the Department's Division of Fish and Wildlife; or under the federal Endangered Species Act.

63. "Recreational activities" means activities that include but are not limited to the following: education or nature studies, hunting, fishing, boating, canoeing, camping, trapping, water-skiing, swimming, ice skating, hiking, bird watching or other wildlife observations, photography, cross-country skiing, harvesting of natural foods or plant materials, and visual/esthetic appreciation of natural wetland environments as a whole or in part.

64. "Restoration" means the result of actions that, in the opinion of the CRMC, reinstate or will reinstate, insofar as possible, the functions and values of a wetland that has been altered.

65. "Retention facility" means a basin, depression, or other artificial structure excavated, constructed, or installed to hold stormwater flows or runoff.

66. "R.I. Gen. Laws" means the Rhode Island General Laws of 1956, as from time to time amended.

67. "River" means, as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(8), a body of water that is designated as a perennial stream by the United States Department of Interior Geologic Survey on 7.5-minute series topographic maps, and that is not a pond.

68. "Riverbank" means, as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(9), that area of land within two hundred feet (200') of the edge of any flowing body of water having a width of ten feet (10') or more, and that area of land within one hundred feet (100') of the edge of any flowing body of water having a width of less than ten feet (10') during normal flow.

69. "Rules" means these Rules and Regulations, which govern the administration and enforcement of the Act as applied to freshwater wetlands in the vicinity of the coast. Unless otherwise expressly stated, any reference herein to the Rules incorporates the relevant provisions of the Act.

70. "SAMP" means a Special Area Management Plan adopted by the CRMC.

71. "Sediment" means any organic or inorganic material that is in suspension, has been deposited, is being transported, or has been moved from its site of origin by natural or human action.

72. "Sediment facility" means any basin, depression or other artificial structure excavated, constructed or installed to retain sediment or debris, and prevent sediment or debris from entering any freshwater wetlands.

73. "Selective cut/cutting" means the cutting of trees or the mowing or cutting of shrubs or emergent vegetation which would result in:

74. "Setback" means the minimum distance from the edge of a freshwater wetland at which an approved activity or alteration may take place.

75. "Shrub wetland" means a freshwater wetland dominated by woody plants less than twenty feet (20') tall.

76. "Significant alteration" means in the opinion of the CRMC, a proposed project which by its area, scope or duration, appears to represent more than a minimal change or modification to the characteristics, functions or values of any freshwater wetland(s); may be detrimental to the basic natural capabilities or values associated with any freshwater wetland(s); or appears to be random, unnecessary or undesirable.

77. "Special aquatic site" means a body of open standing water, either natural or artificial, which does not meet the definition of pond, but which is capable of supporting and providing habitat for aquatic life forms, as documented by the:

78. "Standing water" means non-flowing water of any depth lying on the ground surface.

79. "Stream/Intermittent stream" means any flowing body of water or watercourse other than a river that flows long enough each year to develop and maintain a defined channel. Such watercourses may carry groundwater discharge or surface runoff. Such watercourses may not have flowing water during extended dry periods but may contain isolated pools or standing water.

80. "Submergent plant community" means a freshwater wetland characterized by plants that grow principally below the surface of the water for most of the growing season. Submergent plants are either attached to the substrate or float freely in the water.

81. "Substantial alteration of a dam" means, consistent with the Rules and Regulations for Dam Safety (250-RICR- 130-05-1), any physical modification to a dam that results in a permanent change in the water elevation of the reservoir or impoundment or in water flow downstream of the dam.

82. "Surface water" means water lying on the substrate or soil surface, regardless of depth.

83. "Swamp" means, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-1-20(10), a place not less than three (3) acres in extent wholly or partly within the State of Rhode Island where groundwater shall be near or at the surface of the ground for a significant part of the growing season, or where runoff water from surface drainage shall collect frequently, and/or where a vegetational community shall be made up of a significant portion of one or more of, but not limited to nor necessarily including all of the following: red maple (Acer rubrum), elm (Ulmus americana), black spruce (Picea mariana), white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), ashes (Fraxinus), poison sumac (Rhus vernix), larch (Larix laricina), spice bush (Lindera benzoin), alders (Alnus), skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), hellebore (Veratrum viride), hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), sphagnums (Sphagnum), azaleas (Rhododendron), black alder (Ilex verticillata), coast pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), blueberries (Vaccinium), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), willow (Salicaceae), water willow (Decodon verticillatus), tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), laurels (Kalmia), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), or species indicative of marsh. For purposes of this definition, "significant part of the growing season" means that period of the growing season when water is present long enough to support a plant community of predominantly hydrophytic vegetation.

84. "Terms and conditions" means any requirements specified by the CRMC which it deems necessary to prevent any authorized or permitted project or activity from reducing the functions and values associated with any freshwater wetland; prevent any significant alteration which is not authorized; prevent the destruction of any freshwater wetland or portion thereof; or protect the health, welfare, and general well-being of the public. These terms and conditions may include without limitation the following:

85. "Utility" means any electricity, water, sewer, gas, oil or communication transmission line or pipe.

86. "Water quality improvement project" means a project whose sole purpose is to eliminate or correct those ongoing activities or problems that cause or contribute to water quality degradation.

87. "Width during normal flow" means the distance between the opposite edges of the flow channel of a river, stream, or intermittent stream, as determined by the criteria set forth in § 2.18(C) of this Part.

88. "Wildlife" means any vertebrate or invertebrate animal species which may reproduce in, rest in, feed in, or otherwise utilize any freshwater wetland regulated by these Rules.

89. "Wildlife habitat" means those freshwater wetlands that provide breeding, nursery, resting, travel or feeding areas for birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, or invertebrates, as well as the biotic and abiotic characteristics of freshwater wetlands that may provide food, cover, breeding sites, or other support systems for these life forms.

90. "Wildlife habitat project" means a project whose sole purpose is to create, restore or enhance wildlife habitat.