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6/8/2026
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Commission will study planning for developments’ effects on water supply in rural R.I.
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STATE HOUSE – A new commission will study ways to evaluate, plan for and limit the impacts of new housing developments on public water supplies and watersheds in rural areas under legislation sponsored by Rep. Megan L. Cotter and approved by the House today.
“We are in the midst of a very serious housing crisis that demands we create more homes. We also need to protect our water supply, so new and existing homes have the safe, clean water they all need. This isn’t an ‘either/or’ situation, it’s a ‘how,’ because both are essential. The question we need this commission to answer is how we determine and plan for the impact of housing on the water supply in rural areas, where most homes depend on private wells,” said Representative Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton). “We need planning that looks at our water supply more broadly and into the future, because a safe water supply is not something we can afford to put at risk.”
The legislation (2026-H 8032Aaa) creates a new, 11-member House study commission consisting of House members; representatives of the Department of Environmental Management, the Department of Health, the Water Resources Board, the R.I. League of Cities and Towns and RIHousing; water authority managers from towns large and small; and a professional who specializes in hydrology, environmental engineering and/or public health compliance of water systems.
The bill charges the committee with studying and providing recommendations for “evaluating, planning for, and limiting the impacts of new housing development on the safety, quality, and capacities of public water supplies and watersheds in rural communities.”
The commission is to report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives by June 15, 2027.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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