Environment New Hampshire Urges Protective Wetlands Laws

The two bills seek to protect New Hampshire's wetlands from overdevelopment. SB 435 calls for an update to the permitting process for development in New Hampshire's wetlands and HB 1579-FN proposes a 75 foot setback requirement from wetlands for structures and septic systems.

"Irresponsible development is threatening the health of many of our great waterways in New Hampshire," said Kathryn Fox, preservation associate for Environment New Hampshire.

"SB 435 and HB 1579-FN will help protect our wetlands in New Hampshire that are important in preserving the health of waterways such as the Great Bay Estuary," she said.

Heron in New Hampshire's Great Bay Estuary (Photo courtesy NH Division of Forests and Lands)

Rockingham County, where the Great Bay Estuary is located, has the most wetlands acreage in the state, with over 60,000 acres of wetlands.

"These wetlands are important to maintaining the health of waterways in the Seacoast region, in particular the Great Bay Estuary, by providing storage for floodwaters, sustaining a variety of habitats for hundreds of species of wildlife, and filtering out pollutants," said Fox.

But the Great Bay Estuary is located in one of the fastest growing regions in New Hampshire. Between 2000 and 2025 the population of Rockingham County is expected to increase by almost 80,000 people.

Going hand in hand with the increase in population, between 1990 and 2000 impervious surface coverage increased by 46 percent.

Environment New Hampshire hopes that the passage of these two bills will help protect the wetlands of the Great Bay Estuary from encroaching development and will mark the beginning of a series of future laws that will protect New Hampshire's waterways from runaway development.

On January 31, Environment New Hampshire released a report outlining a set of policy recommendations for the state that will help protect and preserve all of New Hampshire's waterways.

Through case studies of five of New Hampshire waterways - the Great Bay Estuary, Lake Sunapee, the Connecticut River, Lake Winnipesaukee, and the Merrimack River - the report analyzes how growth, pollution, and water withdrawals threaten to destroy the health of the state's waterways.

The group calls for policies and actions that will promote responsible development, ensure sustainable water use, and clean up waterways by fighting problems like runoff pollution, water withdrawals, and pollution from wastewater treatment facilities.

"New Hampshire's waterways are an important part of the state's identity and natural heritage," said Fox. "In order to preserve these waterways for future generations, we need to give them the strongest possible protections."

The report, "The Future of New Hampshire's Treasured Waterways: A Plan to Protect our Lakes, Rivers, and Estuaries," is online here.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.