Water resources

Over the past five years, public water systems and owners of private wells in New Hampshire have faced unprecedented challenges. Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated hundreds of wells for public water systems and thousands of private wells throughout the entire state, especially in the southern population centers. Droughts of varying degrees of magnitude have been declared in five out of the last seven years. The health threats posed by arsenic, manganese and lead moved policy makers to implement new standards and approaches to deal with these contaminants.

When you stop to think about it, the importance of water is undeniable. From the water we use to make our coffee in the morning to the water we brush our teeth with at bedtime- water touches every aspect of our lives. Luckily for us, we don’t need to think about it much. In New Hampshire, water plentifully surrounds us in our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Our taps run and our toilets flush. There are professionals out there whose job is to make sure you don’t have to think about these things. So far, this series has touched on the people who provide the water.

Drinking Water - A Local and Beneficial Resource

In New Hampshire, public water is a very local affair, and your involvement is a great way to enhance your personal wellbeing and community connections.  This article demonstrates public water’s local nature, and how being involved with your water system can be as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot day.

Clean, reliable, and affordable water is the foundation of modern society and public health.  Nationwide, drinking and wastewater infrastructure contributes 20% of our economic growth and is considered one of the greatest public health benefits of the 20^th century.  Roughly 700,000 New Hampshi

This is the first of a four-part series focusing on the State's water infrastructure: public drinking water, wastewater, storm water and dams. Each article will spotlight a municipal system; address critical needs of that infrastructure system; and outline funding sources available to municipalities today that may be used to maintain and sustain these critically important infrastructure systems.