®

WINTER 2003

NHDES ANNOUNCES LOCAL SOURCE WATER PROTECTION FUNDING GRANTS

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) offers Local Source

Water Protection Grants to help municipalities and water companies address issues resulting

from the NHDES's review of Drinking Water Source Assessment reports. Eligible entities

include water suppliers, municipalities, regional planning commissions, non-profit organizations,

county conservation districts, State agencies, and watershed associations. Successful applicants

can use grant funding to refine source delineation, inventory and evaluate potential drinking

water threats, and implement protective measures or monitoring programs. The deadline for

grant applications is generally in the fall of each year.

The grant program was especially timely this year because the NHDES completed source area

delineations and source area assessment reports that were sent out to water suppliers.

As noted in a NHDES Newsletter for the Drinking Water Source Protection Program,

The Source, “the next challenge ... is making sure the source assessments spur water suppliers

and municipalities to improve local protection programs.” The source assessment reports use

13 criteria to rate a source's vulnerability to contamination, ranging each criterion high, medium,

or low. These rankings can be viewed on-line at www.des.state.nh.us/dwspp/partl.htm.

High vulnerability marks suggest that protective measures are needed. The NHDES recently

issued a fact sheet (WD-WSEB 12-8) describing prudent responses (the fact sheet is also

available at the NHDES web site). Armed with the source assessment report and suggested

responses described in the fact sheet, water suppliers can begin to frame good grant applications.

Grant monies can also be used to address vulnerability assessment issues. Community public

water systems were currently faced with compliance deadlines for requirements of the Public

Health Security and Bioterrorism and Response Act (H.R. 3448) focusing on system security and

ability to respond to emergencies. Vulnerability assessments for systems serving between

50,000 and 99,999 people were due to the United States Environmental Protection Agency

(USEPA) by December 31, 2003 and for systems serving between 3,300 and 49,999 people by

June 30, 2004. Systems larger than 99,999 people were required to comply by March 31, 2003,

®

and systems serving less than 3,300 people were not required to comply. Past Local Source

Water Protection applicants have used the grants to fund fencing and alarm systems to prevent

unauthorized access and limit system vulnerability.

There are some key aspects that the applicant should focus on to prepare a winning grant

application. First, community support is essential, and letters of support from local planning

boards and other stakeholders are important application attachments. Applicants should also

provide a matching contribution; the NHDES will not fund 100 percent of the project costs.

Contributions can be monetary or through in-kind services (e.g., matching labor). Ground level

involvement by the primary stakeholders is a strong plus and is viewed like "sweat equity" in

terms of home improvement projects. Furthermore, projects involving technical data collection,

such as water quality monitoring projects, will require the preparation of Quality Assurance

Project Plans (QAPPs). QAPPs can be difficult for laymen to prepare and applicants may want

to seek assistance from an experienced consultant. It has also been our experience that the

NHDES staff is very helpful in providing guidance to potential applicants. If you have any

questions about this very useful program, please feel free to contact us.

David A. Maclean, P.G., L.S.P., L.E.P.

damaclean@geoinc.com