{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-146.220","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 146.220","heading":"Legislative intent.","body":"The General Assembly hereby recognizes that certain streams of Kentucky possess\noutstanding and unique scenic, recreational, geological, fish and wildlife, botanical,\nhistorical, archaeological and other scientific, aesthetic, and cultural values. It is th e\npolicy of the General Assembly to complement dam construction and development\nprojects on Kentucky watercourses with other equally important and beneficial uses of\nour water resources. Therefore, it is hereby declared that in order to afford the citizens  of\nthe Commonwealth an opportunity to enjoy natural streams, to attract out -of-state\nvisitors, to assure the well-being of our tourist industry, to preserve for future generations\nthe beauty of certain areas untrammeled by man, it is in the interest of the Commonwealth\nto preserve some streams or portions thereof in their free -flowing condition because their\nnatural, scenic, scientific, and aesthetic values outweigh their value for water\ndevelopment and control purposes now and in the future. For aesthetic , as well as\necological reasons, the foremost priority shall be to preserve the unique primitive\ncharacter of those streams in Kentucky which still retain a large portion of their natural\nand scenic beauty, and to prevent future infringement on that beauty  by impoundments or\nother man-made works. Since the stream areas are to be maintained in a natural state, they\nwill also serve as areas for the perpetuation of Kentucky's wild fauna and flora. Few such\nstreams remain in the Eastern portion of the United St ates, and the General Assembly\nfeels a strong obligation to the people of Kentucky to preserve these remnants of their\nproud heritage. It is the purpose of KRS 146.200 to 146.360 to establish a Wild Rivers\nSystem by designating certain streams for immediat e inclusion in the system and by\nprescribing the procedures and criteria for protecting and administering the system. It is\nnot the intent of KRS 146.200 to 146.360 to require or to authorize acquisition of all\nlands or interests in lands within the bounda ries of the stream areas but to assure\npreservation of the scenic, ecological and other values and to provide proper management\nof the recreational, wildlife, water and other resources. It is the intent of KRS 146.200 to\n146.360 to impose reasonable regula tions as to the use of private and public land within\nthe authorized boundaries of wild rivers for the general welfare of the people of the\nCommonwealth, and where necessary, to enable the department to acquire easements or\nlesser interests in or fee title  to lands within the authorized boundaries of the wild rivers,\nso that the public trust in these unique natural rivers might be kept.","path":["KRS Chapter 146"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=29304","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:37Z","sha256":"92db712c56870917eed4736173cc67d92f8a64872683089fb92918bdf5fe098b","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-146.210","next":"us-ky/krs-146.230"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}