Title L, Water Management and Protection

Upon enactment of this chapter, all state agency actions affecting rivers or segments of such rivers which may be designated for protection under this chapter shall conform to the provisions of this chapter.

[Paragraph I effective until July 10, 2028; see also paragraph I set out below.] I. Any state agency considering any action affecting any river or segment designated under this chapter shall ensure that the rivers coordinator and the local river management advisory committee are …

I. Any activities permitted under this chapter shall be subject to all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. II. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the continued operation, repair and maintenance of hydroelectric storage and generation facilities existing on the …

I. The commissioner may apply for and accept, from any source, gifts; donations of money; grants; federal, local, private, and other matching funds and incentives; and interests in land for the purposes of this chapter. The moneys collected under this paragraph shall be deposited…

I. No state-owned property adjacent to or providing access to a river shall be disposed of by the state except upon the review and recommendation of the advisory committee. II. [Repealed.]

The following rivers and river segments are designated as protected: I. Lamprey River and the watershed tributaries: North Branch, Pawtuckaway, North, Little, and Piscassic Rivers. (a)(1) Lamprey River: (A) As a rural river from immediately downstream of Meadow Lake Dam in Northw…

There is established within the department of environmental services the New Hampshire rivers management and protection program. It is the intent of the legislature that the New Hampshire rivers management and protection program shall complement and reinforce existing state and f…

There is established in the department of environmental services, a state rivers coordinator, who shall be a classified employee qualified by reason of education and experience, and who shall administer the New Hampshire rivers management and protection program.

In this chapter: I. "Advisory committee" means the rivers management advisory committee established in RSA 483:8. II. "Agriculture" means agriculture as defined in RSA 21:34-a. II-a. "Aquatic connectivity" means the ability of aquatic organisms to move naturally within and among …

For the purposes of section 10(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Power Act, those rivers or segments designated under this chapter and any state or local river corridor management plans developed pursuant to this chapter shall constitute one element of the state comprehensive plan for rive…

I. Any New Hampshire organization or resident may nominate a perennial river or any segment or segments of such river for protection by submitting to the commissioner a description of the river or segment or segments of such river and its values and characteristics. The completed…

I. Any nomination approved by the commissioner shall require review and approval by the general court prior to inclusion in the program. Such action shall be filed as a bill in the next legislative session following the nomination. II. Any nomination which is forwarded to the gen…

I. Those rivers or segments designated for inclusion in the program shall be classified as one or more of the following: (a) Natural rivers are free-flowing rivers or segments characterized by the high quality of natural and scenic resources. River shorelines are in primarily nat…

There is established a rivers management advisory committee appointed by the governor and council. All members shall be New Hampshire residents and the department shall request that nominating organizations select nominees representing diverse geographic areas of the state. I. Th…

I. The advisory committee shall appoint a local river management advisory committee for each designated river or segment. Committee members shall be chosen from lists of nominees submitted by the local governing bodies of the municipalities through which the designated river or s…

The following protection measures shall apply to a river or segment designated as a natural river: I. No dam or other structure or improvement that impedes or significantly alters the free-flowing condition or natural character of the river or segment shall be permitted, certifie…

The following protection measures shall apply to a river or segment designated as a rural river: I. No new dams shall be permitted, certified, constructed, operated or maintained in such river or segment. The repair of a structural failure of a dam which is in place at the time a…

The following protection measures shall apply to rivers or segments designated as a rural-community river: I. No new dams shall be permitted, certified, constructed, operated or maintained in such river or segment. The repair of a structural failure of a dam which is in place at …

The following protection measures shall apply to rivers or segments designated as a community river: I. The department may approve permits for the construction of new dams for public water supply, flood control or hydroelectric energy production purposes if such construction is c…

I. The commissioner, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A specifying the standards, criteria, and procedures by which protected instream flows shall be established and enforced for each designated river or segment. The department shall de…