Title L, Water Management and Protection

Any transfer of a boat, the registration certificate of which has been suspended pursuant to this chapter, shall not operate to entitle the transferee to a new registration certificate free of the restrictions lawfully imposed under the provisions of this chapter, and any transfe…

Applications for original or renewal of certificates of registration from the department of safety, division of motor vehicles, shall contain a statement subject to the penalties of perjury that the boat described in such application is equipped in compliance with this chapter.

The general court recognizes that rapidly escalating pressures of shorefront development and recreational uses of public waters have placed increasing strains upon the state's lake resources, thereby accelerating the eutrophicationprocess in many of our public lakes through nuisa…

In this subdivision: I. "Department" means the department of environmental services. I-a. "Exotic aquatic species of wildlife" means wildlife, as defined in RSA 207:1, XXXV, that: (a) Depend on a freshwater aquatic environment; and (b) Are not naturally occurring in New Hampshire…

No exotic aquatic weeds shall be offered for sale, distributed, sold, imported, purchased, propagated, transported, or introduced in the state. The commissioner may exempt any exotic aquatic weed from any of the prohibitions of this section consistent with the purpose of this sub…

It shall be unlawful to offer for sale, distribute, sell, import, purchase, propagate, negligently transport, or introduce exotic aquatic weeds into New Hampshire waterbodies. Notwithstanding RSA 487:7, any person engaging in such an activity shall be guilty of a violation.

No person shall negligently transport any aquatic plants or plant parts or exotic aquatic weed or weed parts to or from any New Hampshire waters on the outside of a vehicle, boat, ski craft as defined in RSA 270:73, trailer, or other equipment.

I. When leaving waters of the state, a person shall drain his or her boat and other water-related equipment that holds water, including live wells and bilges. II. Drain plugs, bailers, valves, or other devices used to control the draining of water from ballast tanks, bilges, and …

I. Public boat access facility owners such as state agencies and municipalities, may provide various technologies including, but not limited to, garden hoses, cleaning tools or units, and decontamination units at their access sites for the purposes of cleaning, draining, drying, …

Notwithstanding RSA 487:7, any person who violates RSA 487:16-c through 487:16-e shall be guilty of a violation punishable by a fine of $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, and $250 for any subsequent offense. The authority to enforce these sections shall extend to…

I. A program for the preservation and restoration of New Hampshire lakes and ponds eligible under RSA 487:20 shall be established and administered within the department of environmental services. Said program shall function to: (a) Limit the eutrophication process in New Hampshir…

Project approval shall be based upon prioritization factors to be established by rules adopted under RSA 541-A. Such rules shall give first priority for expenditure of available funds to the control or eradication of new infestations of exotic aquatic weeds pursuant to RSA 487:17…

No project for the implementation of a lakes restoration or preservation program shall be approved or initiated until at least 2 public hearings have been held on the project. Said hearings shall be held in one or more of the affected municipalities.

No marine toilet on any boat operated upon waters of the state shall be so constructed and operated as to discharge any sewage into said waters either directly or indirectly, nor shall any sewage or container of sewage be placed, left, discharged or caused to be placed, left or d…

To be eligible for funding under this subdivision, a body of water shall be any freshwater lake or pond which meets priorities established under RSA 487:18. Lakefront associations, private businesses, citizens and local government agencies shall be eligible to apply for funding u…

I. For diagnostic and feasibility studies where the federal government has made financial assistance available in the amount of 70 percent of the cost, the department may provide an amount not exceeding 30 percent of the total eligible costs as determined by the department. Where…

Whenever a project requires a commitment of cooperative action or local cost sharing involving 2 or more municipalities, all participating municipalities shall execute an intermunicipal agreement relative to their respective obligations. No project which requires a local match sh…

The department shall make a concerted effort to integrate and coordinate the clean lakes program with other environmental management programs involving lakes and their watersheds, whether such programs fall within the jurisdiction of the department of environmental services or wi…

The commissioner shall adopt rules, under RSA 541-A, relative to: I. The criteria to be used in the prioritization of grants for diagnostic or feasibility studies. II. The criteria used to determine the priority of implementation projects and maintenance projects. III. Contractin…

I. The fee of $9.50 collected under the provisions of RSA 270-E:5-a, II(a) shall be paid to the director of the division of motor vehicles. The director of the division of motor vehicles shall pay over said fee to the state treasurer who shall keep the fee in a special fund to be…

There is hereby established a grant program to be administered by the department of environmental services for the allocation of money to state agencies, non-profit organizations, and municipalities or political subdivisions of the state which seek to administer a milfoil and oth…

The commissioner of the department of environmental services, or designee, in consultation with the commissioner of safety, or designee, shall establish a management plan to implement the grant program. The management plan shall include, but not be limited to: I. Eligibility dete…

I. The department of environmental services shall distribute funds for projects to further the purposes of this program only to eligible applicants. Eligible applicants shall include: (a) Publicly-supported nonprofit corporations exempt from federal income taxation under Section …

The department of environmental services shall submit an annual report, beginning on January 1, 2004, to the speaker of the house, president of the senate, and the governor and council which shall include, but not be limited to, a description of prevention and research projects f…

No sink or shower on any boat operated upon the fresh waters of the state shall be so constructed or operated as to discharge any graywater into said waters either directly or indirectly.

I. There is established a committee to study exotic aquatic weeds and exotic aquatic species of wildlife in the state of New Hampshire. II. (a) The members of the committee shall be as follows: (1) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the hou…

I. There is established within the department of environmental services the New Hampshire volunteer lake assessment program to provide water quality data to the state and federal governments to define water quality trends; provide data for lake protection, management, and remedia…

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

I. The commissioner may apply for and accept gifts, donations of money, federal, municipal, or private grants, or other funds or incentives from any source for the purposes of this subdivision. The funds accepted under this paragraph shall be paid into the lake restoration and pr…

I. There is established within the department of environmental services the New Hampshire healthy tidal waters and shellfish protection program. This program ensures that water quality in coastal waters supports the propagation, conservation, and harvest of shellfish. II. To the …

The general court finds that it is for the public good and welfare of this state to protect and preserve its tidal waters for propagation and harvest of shellfish and for other beneficial uses. Shellfish propagation and harvest is a primary indicator of the overall ecological and…

In this subdivision: I. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of environmental services. II. "Coastal waters" means surface waters of the state, as defined in RSA 485-A:2, XIV, that are subject to the influence of the tides. III. "Department" means the departmen…

I. A special healthy tidal waters and shellfish protection fund is established for exclusive use by the department to accomplish the purposes of this subdivision. This fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the department for the purposes of this subdivision. II…

I. The commissioner, jointly with the executive director of the fish and game department, shall make recommendations pursuant to RSA 4:40 concerning the leasing of state-owned submerged lands in the Great Bay estuary for the purpose of shellfish restoration. II. Leases granted un…

There is established within the department of environmental services the New Hampshire volunteer river assessment program to provide: I. Water quality and related environmental data to the state and federal governments to define water quality trends; II. Data for river protection…

The general court finds that landscape changes and recreational and other uses of rivers and their watersheds have placed increasing stress upon the state's rivers, posing a threat to water quality and the continued support of designated uses. The general court recognizes the nee…

I. All owners and operators of any marina or shore property located on fresh waters of the state shall cooperate with the department by publicizing the requirements of this chapter among the boating fraternity and other interested parties. II. The provisions of this chapter shall…

To the extent that funds are available, the department shall: I. Assist volunteer organizations in monitoring the water quality of rivers and streams; II. Provide technical assistance to local river management advisory committees, watershed organizations, municipalities, educatio…

There is established in the department of environmental services a state volunteer river assessment program coordinator who shall be a classified employee qualified by reason of education and experience and who shall administer the New Hampshire volunteer river assessment program…

The commissioner may apply for and accept gifts, donations of money, federal, municipal, or private grants, or other funds or incentives from any source. The funds accepted under this section shall be paid into the rivers management and protection fund established under RSA 483:1…

No person shall knowingly launch into the fresh waters of the state any boat which is not equipped in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

I. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or of rules of the department adopted under this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person, or guilty of a felony if any other person. If any fine is imposed it shall constitute a lien against the…

All boats located upon waters of this state shall be subject to inspection by the department or any lawfully designated agent or inspector of the department at any time for the purpose of determining whether such boat is equipped in compliance with this chapter. The members of th…

No boat shall be operated upon waters of this state having within or on it a marine toilet without a certificate of registration from the department of safety, division of motor vehicles, as required by RSA 270 and RSA 270-E.