AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate today gave final approval to a bill that would create a new buffer zone along the Kennebec River.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, is designed to protect scenic views from future excavations and quarries, according to the Senate Majority Office.

The bill requires a 100-foot-wide natural buffer to be maintained between the working edge of a quarry excavation and the normal high water line along the river from Waterville to the Father Curran Bridge in Augusta.

The bill has been sent to the governor for his signature.