AUGUSTA -- A bill to protect the shoreline of the Kennebec River between Augusta and Waterville was passed by the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor's desk for his signature.

The bill is aimed at keeping quarrying and gravel pit excavations away from the riverbank.

It creates a 100-foot-wide buffer between the high water mark and any quarrying operations, according to its sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro. She called it an "environmentally balanced" policy.

"From the Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta to the Hathaway Mill in Waterville, the people of Kennebec County are reinvesting their time and effort into their local waterfronts and the Kennebec River," Mitchell said. "This is a victory for all of us."

Bill MacDonald, executive director of Hallowell-based Maine Rivers, an environmental advocacy group, said Mitchell's bill is good news.

He said protecting the riparian area is important, especially as traditional fish runs return to the Kennebec. "The river is coming back," he said.

"Our state and locally elected leaders clearly see the tremendous economic value of a restored and protected river," he said.