Reference Library

Water Resources

• State Water Plan Process: Municipalities Have a Crucial Stake
  New Hampshire Town and City, April 2009
  Water has shaped the history of New Hampshire’s communities, in many ways defines their unique character today and will continue to influence their future. The state boasts more than 1,000 lakes and large ponds, 17,000 miles of mapped rivers and streams, 238 miles of ocean and estuarine coastline, and hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands. Stratified-drift aquifer deposits cover 14 percent of the state and groundwater in bedrock fractures provides water supply via public and private wells to most rural New Hampshire communities. We rely on these water resources for water supply, hydroelectric generation, recreation, tourism, fish and wildlife habitat, scenic beauty and the state’s exceptional quality of life. more...
• DES Water Resources Primer - January 2009
  The Water Resources Primer was developed to inform policy makers and citizens about the state’s water resources and the challenges faced in sustainably managing them. It was developed as part of an initiative to develop a statewide, comprehensive water resources plan, spearheaded by the Legislature’s Statutory Water Resources Committee. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is the lead author, although the document was significantly influenced and improved by the contributions of many volunteer stakeholders and experts. more...
• OSP. Model Health Ordinances to Implement a Wellhead or Groundwater Protection Program, October, 1992
• DES. Best management Practices to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution: A Guide for Citizens and town Officials - January 2004 (This publication is available from the Department of Environmental Services Public Information Office at 603-271-2975.)
• "Formulating a Water Resources Management & Protection Plan" Technical Bulletin #9 (Winter 1992)
• Northeast Rural Water Association Web site. NeRWA is a nonprofit association of water and wastewater systems in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Among its many services, NeRWA offers training and technical assistance via its highly experienced staff.
• Official List of Public Waters in New Hampshire as maintained by the Department of Environmental Services
• NH DES, Water Division
• NH DES, Water Division, Drinking Water Source Protection Program
• NH DES, Water Division, Wellhead Protection Program "Delineating Wellhead Protection Areas" , Fact Sheet. WD-WSEB-12-2. 1999.

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