The legislation strengthens the DEM's power to compel repairs to Rhode Island's 622 dams - 70 percent of which are privately owned. The department has had to go to court to get repairs done in the past, and its records show that even with a court order, the work often took years.

The legislation also requires cities and towns to prepare emergency plans for dams that are likely to cause significant property damage or a loss of life if they fail. The DEM can order owners to prepare emergency plans for less hazardous dams if needed.

The DEM has declared five of the state's most hazardous dams unsafe, said David Chopy, who oversees dam inspections and repairs for the Department of Environmental Management. They are the Slack Reservoir Dam in Smithfield, Yorker Mill Pond Dam in Exeter, Limerock Dam in Lincoln, Stone Pond Dam in Cranston and Coventry Reservoir Dam.

Repairs are under way at Slack and Coventry reservoirs, and the dams will be removed from the list when the work is complete, Chopy said.

-- The Associated Press