Bill To Protect Johnson's Pond In Coventry Heading To Governor's Desk

COVENTRY, RI — Rhode Island lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday to protect Johnson's Pond in Coventry.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Lou Raptakis (D-Coventry), and if signed into law, would require dam owners across Rhode Island to get permission from the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to raise or lower water levels. Violators would face a fine of $60,000 per day.

The bill was sparked by a dispute between Coventry residents and dam owner Soscia Holding LLC. Residents did not approve of how owners were managing water levels and led to the Town Council calling on DEM to conduct an environmental study of the pond.

Soscia Holdings ownership told WPRI 12 the bill takes away their rights as owners, but John Pascua, of the Johnson's Pond Civic Association, told the television station that's not the case.

"It doesn’t actually take away their rights at all. It just says much like private property when you are putting an addition on your home, you need permission to make sure you are doing it right and safely," Pascua told WPRI 12.