HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2925        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1809

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Christina A. Minicucci

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to establish a Merrimack Valley River district council.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2925        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1809

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

An Act to establish a Merrimack Valley River district council.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

There is hereby established Merrimack River District Council consisting of one member to be chosen from the board of selectmen or town council or the mayor, whichever is applicable or their respective designees from each of the following cities and towns: Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut. Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, Methuen. Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Salisbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford, and West Newbury who shall be voting members, and the following non-voting members: the executive directors of the Greater Lawrence, Lowell, and Haverhill Sanitary Districts or their designees and the president of the Merrimack Valley Watershed Council, MVPC.  The Merrimack River District Council shall include in its review of and investigation, but not be limited to, the use of the Merrimack River, the improvement of available water resources for the district and methods for preserving, protecting, and increasing such resources; water conservation, water quality;  appropriate methods to manage and develop the river and its related land uses; stream flow; treatment facilities for sewage; methods for protecting water quality and quantity; fisheries and wildlife development and maintenance; recreation; cooperative efforts among cities and towns along the Massachusetts portion of the Merrimack River; cooperative efforts between the Commonwealth and the state of New Hampshire regarding the river; future water supply needs of the Commonwealth; methods  for protecting the purity of the water and the costs thereof, and may make recommendations on these and other river-related issues to the department of environmental protection, the Merrimack River Legislative delegation of the General Court, and any municipality within or without the boundaries of the Council’s member communities.   The Council shall file report with these recommendations within fifteen months of enactment of this provision.  The Council shall elect chair from among its voting members, and shall adopt such rules of procedure as necessary for the performance of its duties (consistent with the provisions of 37 Chapter 30A).  The council shall receive technical assistance from the Water Resources Commission and the department of environmental protection. The council shall also be eligible to receive grants from the state or any other governmental or private entity but shall report annually to its member communities all receipts and expenditures.