Comprehensive Overview of Water Quality in New Hampshire

New Hampshire, with a great number of lakes, rivers, and covered landscapes, is widely accepted as a state with good-quality water resources. Nevertheless, similarly to most states in the northeastern region, it experienced the contradiction between tradition and modernity in the preservation of clean and safe water. The state has more than 800 lakes and 19,000 miles of rivers and streams, and the water bodies form part of the economic activities, ecosystem, and even the health of the people.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) is the lead agency that should control and monitor the quality of water. Even though publicly supplied drinking water in most of the state is up to federal standards, there is growing concern about the presence of contaminants like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), nitrates, and road salt intrusion, especially in privately owned wells. Dating as far back as decaying infrastructure and septic system overflow all the way to weather extremes caused by climate change, New Hampshire now must strike a balance between conservation of its water heritage and development, growth, and the issue of climate change.

New Hampshire Water Quality Challenges

1. PFAS Contamination

Contamination by the PFAS man-made chemicals in industrial and consumer products is one of the most imminent water concerns in New Hampshire. PFAS are renowned as stubborn pollutants in the environment and as causing severe health hazards, comprising cancer, thyroid disease, and developmental problems.

There is the significant presence of PFAS in a number of communities with the most significant levels found in Merrimack and Litchfield and Portsmouth due to industrial activities, as well as fire fighting foam at military facilities. New Hampshire has replied to the situation, with a level of PFAS regulation that is among the most rigorous in the nation.

2. Nitrate and Agricultural waste water.

Activities such as agricultural activities and lawn care use of residents lead to high amounts of nitrates in the surface water and ground water particularly places such as the Connecticut River Valley. Contamination by nitrates is especially dangerous to infants who develop conditions such as methemoglobinemia (or the so-called blue baby syndrome). Malpractising manure, nutrient additions, and soil erosion lead to overloading nutrients in water bodies renowned in encouraging algal bloom and deteriorating water systems.

3. Salt Intrusion from Road De-Icing

New Hampshire winters are long and road salt is quite frequently used, which increases the contamination of chloride in both surface water and ground water. During the salting of roads and driveways in the name of safety, run off ends up in adjacent water bodies and aquifers causing high chloride concentrations which are dangerous to aquatic life and corrosive to infrastructure. This is especially worrying in case of the privately owned wells located along busy roads, and there are attempts to implement improvements in salt management conditions.

4. The failures of septic systems

The rural chunks of New Hampshire possess a plethora of homes, which are serviced by exclusive septic tanks. Septic system failure or failure to maintain the septic system may lead to discharge of bacteria, viruses, and nutrients in the water bodies, which is dangerous to water quality, particularly in recreational lakes.

5. Aging Infrastructure

As is the case in many northeastern states, the continued maintenance and replacement of its water infrastructure is threatening to become a costly affair on both ends, due to the relatively limited funds available to do so. All of them can cause contamination, service failure, or violation of regulatory compliance due to the leaky pipes, worn-out treatment facilities, and stormwater systems that are too small.

State and Local Efforts to Improve Water Quality

The state of New Hampshire is currently undertaking efforts aimed at safeguarding and enhancing the quality of water through regulation, monitoring, education as well as investment in infrastructure. The protection of the states water occurs on state, municipal government, nonprofit and residential levels.

1. Drinking Water and Ground Water Trust Fund

This fund, created in 2016, is a source of funding which can be used to finance a drinking water infrastructure project, specifically to respond to PFAS and other drinkings water contaminants in municipal drinking water systems. It helps in planning as well as building, and the focus is on sustainability of water systems in the long run.

2. Surface Water Quality Performance Program

Every year, the NHDES monitors hundreds of surface waters, evaluating such parameters as bacteria, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, and nutrients levels. This assists in identification of the state of impairment of water bodies and docks resources in a region that is in most need of restoration.

3. Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

Managed together with the EPA, the CWSRF provides low-interest loans to wastewater and stormwater facility enhancements. This grant assists cities to cut pollutant loads, improve sewer facilities and deal with combined sewer overflow.

4. Salt Reduction Initiatives

Green SnowPro Program is an ongoing voluntary training and certification program intending to promote the best management practices in road salt usage. In certified applicators, groundwater and aquatic life are conserved through the reduction of the amount of salt used to participate in chloride pollution. Such applicators are taught of this in protection of salt.

5. Watershed-Based Restoration Plans

Many degraded lakes and rivers have their detailed restoration strategies, Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, Lamprey River Watershed being the examples. Such plans also organize local stakeholders to enact buffer zones, control of erosion and sensitise it through mass education to reduce the nonpoint source pollution.

Impact of Climate Change on Water Quality

Climate change poses a growing threat to New Hampshire’s water resources. Changes in precipitation, temperature, and extreme weather patterns directly impact water quality and the performance of water infrastructure.

1. Intensified Storm Events and Flooding

New Hampshire is being hit by more severe and recurrent rainstorms, which causes more runoffs and erosions. This brings in sediment, nutrients, oil and waste to the adjacent water bodies overloading the treatment systems and also causing algal blooms.

Manchester and Nashua are vulnerable areas of storm water pollution that have large proportions of impervious surfaces. In response to this, green infrastructure solutions (such as rain gardens, permeable pavement and retention ponds) are being encouraged.

2. Algal Blooms and Warming Waters

The cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms become more favorable as temperatures in the lakes increase. Such flowers not only compromise the aesthetics and recreation of water, it can also generate toxins that are harmful to both people and pets.

During this past several years, the NHDES has posted a growing number of warnings of algal blooms in the lakes Lake Mascoma and Lake Sunapee. Warm temperatures also decrease the dissolved oxygen, and this affects the population of fish as well as the aquatic system.

3. Seasonal Snowmelt and Water Supply Uncertainty

Snowpack is crucial to a replenishing aquingufer supply as well as maintenance of river flow throughout fairer seasons. Streamflow timing is changing due to changing snow fall patterns and earlier melts which impact water availability and quality. Reduced summer flows are likely to lead to intensive pollution and a decreased ability to dilute pollutants.

4. Ecosystem and Wildlife Disturbance

Climatic change includes temperature fluctuations and alterations in the habitat, which is influencing the distribution and migration of aquatic species and reproduction. These, together with water pollution, endangers the native biodiversity, and possibly introduces other kinds of invasive species that can further de-stabilise the water quality.

Water quality in New Hampshire is directly associated with the status of ecosystems, society and economy. Even though the state has relatively clean water than most parts, it is not above the havoc of serious threats especially the PFAS, salt intrusion, nutrient loads, and effects of the climate.

With robust state-level initiatives, federal use, and local leadership, New Hampshire is currently dealing actively with the problem of its water quality. Attention to scientific surveillance, focused investment, citizen education, and innovation provided by the state provides a demonstration of how sustainable water management can be developed in the Northeast. Future growth in infrastructure, community participation and proactive policymaking will be important to preserve this important asset to serve the future generations. Clean water is not a matter of need, it is a shared concern and of a legacy to be passed on.