The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services says there is $2.2 million available this fall for grants to protect drinking water in the southern part of the state.
The money comes from a fund established to offset impacts to wetlands and streams associated with the widening of Interstate 93 between the Massachusetts border in Salem and the I-93/I-293 interchange in Manchester.
Municipalities and non-profit land trusts may apply for grants to cover up to 50 percent of the value of land or conservation easements critical to the quality of public drinking water supplies.
The affected lands are in: Salem, Windham, Derry, Londonderry and Manchester and in the Lake Massabesic Watershed, which includes portions of Auburn, Hooksett, Candia and Chester.
Applications are due November 1. More information is available at www.des.nh.gov