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March-April 2024
Environmental News
Newsletter of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
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Fishies, flooding and NHDES funding: A resilient stream crossing replacement story
After the Patriot’s Day floods of 2007, the Emerald Acres Housing Cooperative in Barrington, N.H., knew they had a problem. The Oyster River had exceeded the capacity of the 9-foot culvert supporting the only road providing access to this 100-plus-home community, preventing residents and emergency response resources from leaving or entering for nearly a week.
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COMMISSIONER'S COLUMN
Earth Day is April 22 – and it's every day
If you haven’t embraced the idea that Earth Day is Every Day, then I encourage you to stop and think about what Earth Day means to you. Every year as Earth Day approaches, I cannot help but think about New Hampshire’s unmatched natural beauty. From our majestic mountains in the North, to our beautiful lakes and rivers, to the sandy beaches along our Seacoast, our natural resources are a true treasure.
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ARM Fund has $5.5M available for grant round
The NHDES Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund is now accepting pre-proposals for the 2024 grant round. The ARM Fund Program ensures that funds generated through In-Lieu Fee (ILF) mitigation payments for unavoidable impacts to wetlands, streams and other aquatic resources are used to fund projects that replace, restore or protect aquatic resources within the same watershed.
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EPA strengthens air quality standards
On February 7, 2024, the EPA strengthened the primary annual fine particulate matter standard from 12.0 ug/m3 to 9.0 ug/m3 “to reflect new science on harms caused by particle pollution.”
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Clean Diesel Grant Program: New funding available soon
The New Hampshire Clean Diesel Grant Program will open a grant round in April 2024. NHDES has received new funding through EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. This is a reimbursement program for state and local government agencies, school districts, colleges and universities, public and private transit companies, marine operators, and private businesses. Eligible units must meet usage requirements, such as: be fully operational and in active use in New Hampshire; gained 7,000+ miles or 500+ hours, per year for the past two years; have three years of usable life remaining; and existing units must be scrapped upon replacement.
Learn more on our DERA webpage.
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More septic system public records accessible online
NHDES is in the midst of a multi-year effort to make more septic system records available in just a few clicks. With well over half of New Hampshire reliant on septic systems, these records are valuable to many residents and business owners. Our first phase of this project is starting with records from 1967 through the late 1980s. Please note that records for septic systems legally installed after 2016 already have this level of public access. For the best chance of finding your results quickly, we recommend you have the original owner's name handy while you check SSB OneStop. Records digitization efforts are ongoing, and we will share additional updates as available.
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Water Infrastructure Funding Workshop
April 9-12, 2024
The workshop will include sessions focusing on NHDES administered funding programs with topics including funding program updates, asset management, PFAS and lead updates, and more. The intended audience includes current/future loan recipients, community/financial decision makers, public works directors, city/town managers, municipal and regional planners, consultants/engineers, operators, and others interested in the NHDES-administered funding programs.
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Annual Geologic Mapper's Workshop
April 9, 2024 | 8 AM - 4 PM
The Annual Geologic Mapper’s Workshop will feature presentations and results from New Hampshire Geological Survey staff and contracted geologic mappers where they will discuss their surficial and bedrock mapping work during the past year.
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Discover Wild NH Day
April 20, 2024 | 10 AM - 3 PM
Discover Wild New Hampshire is a fantastic, FREE, family-fun event put on by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. NHDES, along with a number of other state agencies, will be there with displays, hands-on activities and demonstrations.
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NH Drinking Water Festival & Science Fair
May 8, 2024 | 9 AM - 2 PM
Fourth-grade students will spend the day learning about water quality, conservation, pollution, wildlife and many other water-related topics. Activities are hands-on and students interact with professionals in fields of science, technology, engineering and math. For the state-level Water Science Fair, fourth-graders will conduct research, create an exhibit, write a report and present their findings to a panel of judges.
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