Title L, Water Management and Protection

I. The owner of a public bathing facility that is open for 9 months or more in a calendar year shall on an annual basis submit to the department, a self-certification declaration stating that each pool at the facility is in compliance with all applicable public bathing facility r…

The department is empowered to investigate the conditions and methods pertaining to existing systems of sewerage and sewage treatment works and to require the application of any treatment, improvement or enlargement of such facilities as will insure their proper operation and pro…

I. Any person operating or maintaining a public swimming pool or bathing place facility without the same having been approved by the department may be enjoined by the superior court or any justice of the court upon petition brought by the attorney general. II. Whenever the depart…

I. Effective January 1, 2022, a public bathing facility shall be operated only under the supervision of an individual who has successfully completed a certified pool and spa operator certification program offered by the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, National Swimming…

The department is hereby empowered to investigate the conditions and methods relating to the disposal of sewage in any municipality, as set forth in RSA 486:1, and to require the installation of public sewers, as defined in RSA 147:8, whenever such investigation demonstrates that…

I. Whoever violates any of the provisions of this subdivision, or rules adopted under this subdivision shall be guilty of a violation if a natural person, or guilty of a misdemeanor if any other person. II. The commissioner may impose an administrative fine not to exceed $2,000 f…

I. (a) Any person proposing either to subdivide land, except as provided in RSA 485-A:33, or to construct a sewage or waste disposal system, shall submit 2 copies of such locally approved plans as are required by the local planning board or other local body having authority for t…

Any person aggrieved by any decision, regulation, ruling or order made by the department pursuant to the provisions of RSA 485:24, 27, and 28 may appeal such decisions pursuant to RSA 21-O:14.

I. The New Hampshire drinking water and groundwater advisory commission, established in RSA 485-F:4, shall administer the drinking water and groundwater trust fund through the MTBE remediation bureau. Subject to the approval of the fiscal committee of the general court, trust fun…

I. The commissioner shall adopt under RSA 541-A, following public hearing, drinking water rules and primary drinking water standards which are necessary to protect the public health and which shall apply to all public water systems. Such rules shall include: (a) identification of…

The department shall: I. Maintain a statewide map identifying the classes of groundwater. II. Assist local and regional entities in the development and administration of local wellhead protection programs, including delineation of wellhead protection areas and the inventory and m…

The coastal program established under this chapter shall be the entity charged with implementing 16 U.S.C section 1456 and 15 C.F.R. Part 930.

I. The department shall provide low-interest loans and grants for the purpose of addressing exceedances of PFAS drinking water standards to: (a) Municipalities for municipal use; (b) Municipalities for use in assisting private well users including funds necessary to address the r…

The commission shall: I. Investigate, monitor, and propose prevention and mitigation strategies for emerging environmental threats in coastal and Great Bay waters, including but not limited to warming of waters, ocean acidification, sedimentation, and nutrient loading, which impa…

There is hereby established a public body corporate and politic having a distinct legal existence separate from the state and not constituting a department or agency of the state government to be known as the Southeast Watershed Alliance, also known as the Alliance. The Alliance …

If the parties do not agree on the amount of damages occasioned by such logs or timber, the selectmen, or, if a majority of them is interested, 3 justices, may, on application of either party in writing, and after 10 days' notice in writing, assess such damages and expenses and m…

It is hereby declared, as a matter of legislative intent, that the department shall, in the administration and enforcement of this chapter, strive to provide that all sources of pollution within the state shall be abated within such times and to such degrees as shall be required …

The department may grant operational permits for public water systems.

I. Any person, except for state and local governments including counties and political subdivisions, that requests an expedited review of environmental site assessment reports by the department shall pay to the department a review fee based on the equalized assessed valuation of …

Any person, submitting a permit application under RSA 485:3, X shall pay to the department a groundwater management permit application fee of $2,000. Any person who has paid the environmental site assessment review fee specified in RSA 485:3-b shall be exempt from the groundwater…

I. Public water systems shall implement a cybersecurity protection program that is commensurate with the size and complexity of the public water system in accordance with rules adopted by the department. II. Public water systems that do not use an Internet-connected control syste…

No person, association or corporation shall cause or permit the discharge of sewage or other deleterious waste from any dwelling, camp, factory, hotel, boardinghouse, or other commercial establishment into any stream, lake, pond, or river not previously polluted, without first su…

I. Any person submitting plans and specifications for a subdivision of land shall pay to the department a fee of $450 per lot. Said fee shall be for reviewing such plans and specifications and making site inspections. Any person submitting plans and specifications or an applicati…

I. All lots on which wastewater is or will be disposed on-site and all lots on which a private well exists or will be installed, including lots created prior to August 20, 1989, shall be subject to the following conditions: (a) Rules adopted under this section concerning such lot…

I. Any person who tampers with, attempts to tamper with, or makes a threat to tamper with a public water system shall be guilty of a class B felony if a natural person and guilty of a felony if any other person. II. Notwithstanding RSA 651:2, a natural person may, in addition to …

I. Subject to paragraphs II and III, the department shall give notice in writing to the person submitting the plans and specifications for subdivision of land of its approval or of the need for additional information to complete the review of such plans and specifications within …

I. No person shall construct any building from which sewage or other wastes will discharge or construct a sewage or waste disposal system without prior approval of the plans and specifications of the sewage or waste disposal system by the department. Nothing herein shall be const…

Any person who shall willfully injure any of the property of any water company or of any city or town, used by it in supplying water to its inhabitants, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person, or guilty of a felony if any other person, and such person shall also for…

Whenever any well, spring or other water supply is suspected of being polluted by sewage or other matter dangerous to health, the health officer of the town where it is located may cause an analysis of the water to be made by a competent chemist, without expense to the owner. If …

I. No plans and specifications shall be required whenever the proposed sewage or waste disposal system will be connected to any public sewer system operated by any municipality or other governmental body within the state. II. No plans and specifications shall be required whenever…

The department shall have concurrent jurisdiction with local boards and officers to enforce the provisions of this subdivision.

I. The department shall require soil data describing soil types and their physical and related characteristics as exist in the proposed subdivision. Such soil data will consist of soils maps and charts as prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservat…

I. (a) All applications, plans, and specifications submitted in accordance with this chapter for subsurface sewage or waste disposal systems shall be prepared and signed by the individual who is directly responsible for them and who has a permit issued by the department to perfor…

Whenever the department, upon investigation, becomes satisfied that a well, spring or other supply of water, used for domestic purposes, has become polluted so as to endanger the public health, it is authorized to prohibit the person or corporation owning or controlling said supp…

The superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity, upon application of the department, to enforce the orders of the department issued under RSA 485:35.

I. (a) No individual shall engage in the business of installing subsurface sewage or waste disposal systems under this subdivision without first obtaining an installer's permit from the department. The permit holder shall be responsible for installing the subsurface sewage or was…

Any person who has installed or otherwise acquired a subsurface sewage or waste disposal system installed in accordance with the provisions of this subdivision is required to operate and maintain said system in such a manner as to prevent a nuisance or potential health hazard due…

No person who owns or occupies land shall knowingly allow any well which is within 500 feet of a dwelling or within 200 feet of any highway to remain open on such land, unless there is around such well a substantial fence or protection at least 3 feet high so constructed that no …

Any open well which is not fenced or protected as provided in RSA 485:37 is declared a nuisance and the same may be ordered abated by any court of competent jurisdiction on complaint of any prosecuting officer.

I. Prior to expanding any structure or any change in use, which would increase the load on a sewage disposal system, the owner of such structure shall submit an application for approval of the sewage disposal system to the department. Application for approval shall include one of…

I. Prior to the transfer of any developed waterfront property using a septic system, where any portion of the septic system is within 250 feet of the reference line as defined in RSA 483-B:4, XVII, the buyer of the property shall, at the buyer's expense, engage a New Hampshire li…

Whoever violates any provision of RSA 485:37 or RSA 485:38 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person, or guilty of a felony if any other person.

I. The department is empowered to investigate the sanitary conditions and methods pertaining to the source, treatment, and distribution of all public water supplies for domestic use, and to require the application of any treatment or improvement in conditions and methods as it ma…

The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named senate member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Four membe…

If either party is dissatisfied with the assessment, he may appeal therefrom to the superior court. The appeal shall be filed within 60 days and not after, in writing, signed by the party appealing or his attorney, setting forth the reasons of his appeal.

The commissioner shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to: I. Criteria and procedures for delineating classes of groundwater. II. Criteria and procedures for reclassifying groundwater under RSA 485-C:9, II. III. Ambient groundwater quality standards as provided under…