R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24.5-3: Declaration of purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to authorize the cities and towns of the state to adopt ordinances creating waste water management districts (WWMD), the boundaries of which may include all or a part of a city or town, as specified by the ordinance. These ordinances must be designated to eliminate and prevent the contamination of state waters, caused by malfunctioning individual subsurface disposal systems (ISDS), through the implementation of ISDS inspection and maintenance programs. The waste water management district ordinance programs shall be designed to operate as both an alternative to municipal sewer systems and as a method to protect surface and ground waters from contamination.