Senate committee amends, advances bill to allow public river access from state rights-of-way

The Senate Natural Resources Committee on an unnamed date agreed to a committee substitute for Senate Bill 801, which would create the West Virginia Public Waterways Act and direct the Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Division of Natural Resources, to develop guidelines for designing and siting public access points to rivers and streams on existing state rights-of-way.

The committee adopted a conceptual amendment inserting the word "reasonable" after "practical," so the bill would allow an access point only "if it is safe, practical, and reasonable to do so." Counsel explained the bill: "This bill creates the West Virginia, Public Waterways Act to provide the public with access to the state's rivers and streams. The bill recognizes access to, to a river or stream on the related, state right of way, so long as, the access is safe and reasonable."

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