New Hampshire Union Leader CONCORD – A $20 million project to extend public water service from Manchester to several smaller communities in southern New Hampshire by tapping the Merrimack River is the most ambitious of several proposals vying for a piece of the state’s newly created Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund.
The Southern New Hampshire Regional Water System Project would at first serve Plaistow and Atkinson, and eventually could involve Derry, Salem, Hampstead and Windham as well, according to Scott.
The fund was created with the proceeds of a court ruling in favor of the state and against ExxonMobil over MTBE contamination.
After paying outside lawyers and making mandatory deposits to the state’s Rainy Day Fund, the Legislature was left with nearly $240 million for the groundwater trust fund, created by SB 380, which also set up a 19-member advisory commission to make sure the money is properly spent.
The Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission is expected to vote on the first round of projects on Nov. 2, with 20 communities from every part of the state submitting proposals.
Whitefield is seeking $4.3 million for a water main replacement.
The total cost of the Whitefield project, for example, is $6.5 million.
The biggest request is a $13 million loan for the Merrimack River Well Collector Water Treatment Plant, a key component of the Southern New Hampshire regional project.
The plan is to dig wells near the river, not tap directly into it.
Partnerships could be formed with the Hampstead Water Company and the municipally-owned Pennichuck Water Works of Nashua to solve a variety of water contamination problems in communities where private wells are the predominant source of drinking water.