Deer hunting approved at RI reservoir

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island's largest water utility is again turning to hunters to curb the deer population around the state's largest drinking water supply.

Providence Water says it will allow the hunting of white-tailed deer on its property near the Scituate Reservoir for the third consecutive year, beginning in September.

The state will issue permits to 175 hunters and will designate five areas around the reservoir for muzzleloader, shotgun and bow-and-arrow hunting.

The authority says the deer are eating too many young trees, creating a threat to the forest that protects the water supply.