[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 32

   To designate tributaries of the Maurice River in the State of New 
  Jersey as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

  Mr. Hughes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To designate tributaries of the Maurice River in the State of New 
  Jersey as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Maurice River and its tributaries, Menantico Creek, 
        the Manumuskin River, and Muskee Creek, are eligible for 
        inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic River System, the 
        segments and their classifications being as follows--
                    (A) the Maurice River, lower segment, from the 
                United States Geological Survey Station at Shellpile to 
                Route 670 Bridge at Mauricetown, approximately 7.0 
                miles, as a recreational river;
                    (B) the Maurice River, middle segment, from Route 
                670 Bridge at Mauricetown upstream to 3.6 miles of the 
                drainage ditch upstream of Fralinger Farm, 
                approximately 3.8 miles, as a scenic river;
                    (C) the Maurice River, middle segment, from the 
                drainage ditch upstream of Fralinger Farm to 3.1 miles 
                upstream to one-half mile upstream from United States 
                Geological Survey Station at Burcham Farm, 
                approximately 3.1 miles, as a recreational river;
                    (D) the Maurice River, upper segment, from one-half 
                mile upstream from the United States Geological Survey 
                Station at Burcham Farm to the south side of the 
                Millville sewage treatment plant, approximately 3.6 
                miles, as a scenic river;
                    (E) the Menantico Creek, lower segment, from its 
                confluence with the Maurice River to the Route 55 
                Bridge, approximately 1.4 miles, as a recreational 
                river;
                    (F) the Menantico Creek, upper segment, from the 
                Route 55 Bridge to the base of the Impoundment at 
                Menantico Lake, approximately 6.5 miles, as a scenic 
                river;
                    (G) the Manumuskin River, lower segment, from its 
                confluence with the Maurice River to 2.0 miles 
                upstream, as a recreational river; and
                    (H) the Manumuskin River, upper segment, from 2.0 
                miles upstream from its confluence with the Maurice 
                River to headwaters, approximately 12.3 miles, as a 
                scenic river;
            (2) a resource assessment of the Maurice River and its 
        tributaries shows that the area possesses numerous 
        outstandingly remarkable natural, cultural, scenic and 
        recreational resources that are significant at the local, 
        regional and international levels, including rare plant and 
        animal species and critical habitats for birds migrating to and 
        from the north and south hemispheres; and
            (3) a river management plan for the river system has been 
        developed by the Cumberland County Department of Planning and 
        Development and adopted by the City of Millville, Maurice River 
        Township, and Commercial Township, that would meet the 
        requirements of section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 
        the City of Vineland has adopted a master plan which calls for 
        river planning and management and is in the process of adopting 
        zoning ordinances to implement their plan and Buena Vista 
        Township in Atlantic County has adopted a land use plan 
        consistent with the Pinelands Comprehensive Plan which is more 
        restrictive than the Cumberland County local river management 
        plan.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) declare the importance and irreplaceable resource 
        values of the Maurice River and its tributaries to water 
        quality, human health, traditional economic activities, 
        ecosystem integrity, biotic diversity, fish and wildlife, 
        scenic open space and recreation;
            (2) recognize that the Maurice River system will continue 
        to be threatened by major development and that land use 
        regulations of the individual local political jurisdictions 
        through which the river segments pass cannot alone provide for 
        an adequate balance between conservation of the river's 
        resources and commercial and industrial development; and
            (3) recognize that segments of the Maurice River and its 
        tributaries additional to those designated under this Act are 
        eligible and suitable for potential designation at some point 
        in the near future.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding the following new paragraphs at 
the end thereof:
            ``( ) The maurice river, middle segment.--From the 
        Commercial/Millville municipal boundary line to one-half mile 
        upstream from United States Geological Survey Station at 
        Burcham Farm, approximately 1.2 miles, as a recreational river.
            ``( ) The maurice river, upper segment.--From one-half mile 
        upstream from United States Geological Survey Station at 
        Burcham Farm to the south side of the Millville sewage 
        treatment plant, approximately 3.6 miles, as a scenic river.
            ``( ) The menantico creek, lower segment.--From its 
        confluence with the Maurice River to the Route 55 Bridge, 
        approximately 1.4 miles, as a recreational river.
            ``( ) The menantico creek, upper segment.--From the Route 
        55 Bridge to the Millville-Vineland Municipal Boundary Line, 
        approximately 3 miles, as a scenic river.
            ``( ) Manumuskin river, new jersey.--From its confluence 
        with the Maurice River to a point 2.0 miles upstream, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior as a recreational 
        river, and from the point 2.0 miles upstream from its 
        confluence with the Maurice River to the Atlantic County/
        Cumberland County Boundary, approximately 11.2 miles, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior as a scenic 
        river.
            ``( ) Muskee creek, new jersey.--From its confluence with 
        the Maurice River to the Pennsylvania Seashore Line Railroad 
        Bridge, approximately 2.7 miles, to be administered by the 
        Secretary of the Interior as a scenic river.
    (b) Special Rules.--(1) The Secretary of the Interior shall 
administer the river segments designated under subsection (a) in 
association with the political jurisdiction through which the Maurice 
River and tributaries pass in accordance with the local river 
management plan prepared by the Cumberland County Department of 
Planning and Development and plans and ordinances prepared and adopted 
by the respective municipal governments. The local river management 
plan shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Interior to assure that 
proper implementation of the plan will protect the values for which the 
river was designated. The Secretary is authorized to provide planning 
assistance to political subdivisions of the State and to the State, if 
requested, and is authorized to enter into memoranda of understanding 
or cooperative agreements with other Federal agencies and with the 
State to ensure that State and Federal programs are carried out in a 
manner that is consistent with the river management plans. The 
Secretary shall review compliance with the locally adopted plans on a 
biennial basis and shall report to the appropriate committees of 
Congress on a timely basis any deviation from those plans which cause 
or may result in any diminution of the values for which the river was 
designated. The Secretary is encouraged to continue to work with the 
local municipalities to negotiate agreement and support for designating 
additional eligible segments of the Maurice River and its tributaries. 
The Secretary is directed to report back to Congress within one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act on the status of discussions 
and negotiations with the local municipalities and on recommendations 
towards inclusion of additional river segments into the National Wild 
and Scenic Rivers System. For the purposes of the segments described by 
subsection (a) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 
such sums as may be necessary, not to exceed $70,000 per year to the 
Secretary of the Interior for planning assistance, biennial review and 
reporting, and for negotiating towards possible inclusion of any 
additional segments of the Maurice River within the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System.
    (2) The provisions of section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
Act shall not be applicable to the river segments designated under 
subsection (a) of this section.

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