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Drinking Water Conference Tackles Risks to N.H. Groundwater, Wells

Joe Shlabotnik/flickr

Local water regulators from around the state will be in Concord on Thursday to talk about risks facing New Hampshire's drinking water system.

The state organizes the annual conference, focused on sustaining and protecting the state’s groundwater, with the American Ground Water Trust, a national nonprofit based in Concord.

The group’s executive director, Andrew Stone, says New Hampshire relies more on private or community wells than almost any other state – which makes safeguarding water supplies tricky.

"If you want to have a lot of build-out in your community, and you don't want to have huge infrastructure investment requirements, then it's good to have a good, educated citizenry with regard to the importance of maintaining the integrity of private wells,” he says.

Current challenges to those wells' integrity include chemical contamination, climate change, and increased population density.

Stone says the conference will also look at how state legislators have handled drinking water issues over the past year.

Annie has covered the environment, energy, climate change and the Seacoast region for NHPR since 2017. She leads the newsroom's climate reporting project, By Degrees.
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