Wastewater

In Epping, the $38 million bond approved by voters will allow the town to fix up their wastewater plant and avoid tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

The town is legally required to make upgrades by 2028, and faces more than $90,000 per day in fines if they don’t.

Manchester’s wastewater treatment facility received a new permit from federal regulators that requires the facility to monitor for PFAS chemicals, but not to limit their amounts. The Conservation Law Foundation is appealing, arguing the EPA did not do enough to consider PFAS contamination and environmental justice.

The Conservation Law Foundation says New Hampshire regulators did not consider a state rule meant to protect fish and people from toxic chemicals when approving the permit.

At a Mount Sunapee advisory meeting Tuesday, members of Newbury’s Conservation Commission presented their findings on potential contamination coming from the resort’s wastewater system. But state regulators say the system’s conditions show no cause for concern.

One of the companies, HydroPhos, was started by University of New Hampshire students.

The Manchester wastewater facility is due for a new permit from the EPA. But that permit just includes requirements to monitor PFAS chemicals, not to remove them from the wastewater that flows into the Merrimack River.

And are they vulnerable to climate change?

The town has been putting partially treated wastewater into the river since late 2021 because of operational issues.

Officials say that data can provide an early warning sign when transmission rises.