Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2005
Key claim: Congress ordered a study of whether a specified stretch of Connecticut’s lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook should join the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and authorized funding for that study.
Abstract
(S435 · 109th Congress) (This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on December 8, 2005. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2005 - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a specified segment of the lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Authorizes appropriations. Latest action (2006-11-27): Became Public Law No: 109-370.
Why this matters
Suitability studies are the gating step before any river can enter the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, which brings federal protections against new dams and adverse water-resource projects along designated reaches. Authorizing a study for the lower Farmington and Salmon Brook signals congressional interest in a partnership-style designation for a developed Northeast watershed, while leaving actual land-use and permitting effects contingent on later legislation.