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Divisions > Water Division > Programs/Bureaus/Units > Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau >

Drinking Water Source Protection Program

Ensuring safe drinking water supplies requires keeping drinking water sources (wells and surface waters) as clean as possible, because it is less expensive and more protective of public health to prevent contamination than it is to treat water to meet health standards. New contaminants of concern continue to emerge, which can require more costly treatment of source waters if the source waters have not been adequately protected. Municipalities and water suppliers have a key role in managing land uses that affect drinking water quality. The primary role of the Drinking Water Source Protection Program is to provide technical and financial assistance, and to enforce state regulations that serve to protect the state’s sources of drinking water. However, effective protection relies on the combined efforts of the state, water suppliers, municipalities, businesses, institutions, and individuals whose activities have the potential to affect source water quality.

Hot Topics

• Drinking Water Safety Requirements and Recommendations for Child Care Programs (Fact Sheet WD-DWGB-21-7)
• Concentrations of Chloride and Sodium in Groundwater in New Hampshire From 1960 Through 2011
• 2013 DES Annual Drinking Water Source Protection Conference
• 2012 Water Supply Land Protection Grant Program Report
  • Appendices to the 2012 Water Supply Land Protection Grant Program Report
• A Guide To Groundwater Reclassification (November 2011)
• Annual Source Water Protection and Source Water Sustainability Awards
• Labs Conducting All DES Recommended Tests for Private Wells
• NH Municipalities with Aquifer & Groundwater Protection Zoning Districts
• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment

Publications (Complete List)

• Fact Sheets
• Groundwater Protection for Municipalities
• Managing Groundwater Protection Areas Guidance and Sample Letters
• Guidance Documents and Model Ordinances
• Protecting Groundwater Resources (Using Best Management Practices)
• “Providing Clean Water into the Future: The Benefits of Land Conservation” Town & City Magazine
• Source Assessment Reports
• Supply Lines and the Source Newsletters

Rules/Regulatory (Complete List)

• Local Zoning and Health Ordinances
• Statutes and Rules
• Watershed Rule to Protect Surface Sources

Education/Outreach

• Youth Education

Technical Assistance

• DES Riparian Buffer Gap Analysis
• Planning and Technical Assistance

Training

• 2013 DES Annual Drinking Water Source Protection Conference

Forms/Applications

• PCS Windshield Survey Form

Grants/Loans

• Water Supply Land Protection Grants
• Local Source Water Protection Grants

Related Programs (Complete List)

• Best Management Practices to Prevent Groundwater Contamination
• Chemical Monitoring Waivers
• Groundwater Discharge Permitting and Registration
• Groundwater Reclassification
• Large Groundwater Withdrawal Permitting
• New Community Well Sitings
• Permitting of Sources of Bottled Water
• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment
• Water Conservation
• Water Use Registration and Reporting Program

Partnerships

• Bottled Water
• Land and Water Project

Commissions/Task Forces

• Committee Information

Resources/Links (Complete List)

• Examples of Local Source Water Protection Plans
• Permanently Protecting Water Supply Lands with Conservation Easements, Society for the Protection of NH Forests
• Your Water, Your Decision: An Interactive Tool for Creating A Local Protection Guide

Contact Us (Complete List)

 

 

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NH Department of Environmental Services | 29 Hazen Drive | PO Box 95 | Concord, NH 03302-0095
(603) 271-3503 | TDD Access: Relay NH 1-800-735-2964 | Hours: M-F, 8am-4pm