A company is looking to build a water bottling plant in Nottingham, New Hampshire. Company officials are asking the state for a permit to pump 439 thousand gallons of water daily. Tonight, the Department of Environmental Services is scheduled to hold a meeting at the Nottingham Elementary School. NHPR’s Dan Gorenstein reports.
A company is looking to build a water bottling plant in Nottingham, New Hampshire. Company officials are asking the state for a permit to pump 439 thousand gallons of water daily. Tonight, the Department of Environmental Services is scheduled to hold a meeting at the Nottingham Elementary School. NHPR’s Dan Gorenstein reports.
USA Springs Incorporated owns about 100 acres of land in the town of Nottingham. On that site, is a bedrock aquifer. The company hopes it is capable of producing 305 gallons of water a minute. To put it in perspective, an average family of four uses half that amount every day.
Many residents are worried their well levels would drop from such a draw. But it isn’t only folks in Nottingham who are concerned. Jim Ryan, a member of Northwood’s conservation commission attended a Nottingham planning bd. meeting last week to remind the town of its’ neighbors.
We are losing sight of the magnitude of this. This not only affects the town of Nottingham, but it also will affect Barrington and Northwood. You are talking about an amount of water being pulled out of the ground that is equivalent to a population increase of 11 thousand… Our recommendation that you look at this as a regional activity as opposed to an activity in Nottingham.
The planning bd. adopted a measure to send any forthcoming project information to the towns of Lee, Deerfield and Stratford. Many in attendance voiced opposition to the traffic, bright lights, and noise the facility would generate, in addition to water concerns.
But Armand Hyatt, the attorney who represents USA Springs, is confident Nottingham will like the end result.
In order to get a water supply we have confidence in, and we have confidence, that as this process goes forward, it will justify the conclusions reached by our geo-hydrologist and by the process, which are conclusions, and we welcome this process, b/c we want to make sure everyone in this room is proud of us, at some point in time, even though right now you are suspicious of us, at some point in time you are going to be really glad to have us as neighbors.
As part of the DES permitting process, anyone can comment on the project. After last week’s planning bd. meeting, members drafted a letter of concern to be delivered to the state agency. Jon Karon, a member of the board for the past six years, wants DES to know Nottingham’s rural community status means the town needs its water.
Emphasize that Nottingham being a rural and agricultural town, does have higher needs per residential development for gardens, farms, horses, etc. That may not be adequately protected by DES at this time.
The Department of Environmental Services hosts a public meeting tonight at the Nottingham Elementary School at 7 o’clock. For NHPR News, I’m Dan Gorenstein
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