Gov. Jeanne Shaheen

By Gov. Jeanne Shaheen

Imagine turning on the faucet one morning and nothing comes out. This has already happened to some New Hampshire families as a result of the current drought, the state's worst in nearly 40 years. For most of our history, we in New Hampshire have been blessed with an abundance of water. Our water wealth has been one of the keys to our quality of life and the success of our businesses. The current drought gives us a glimpse of what life might be like if we do not take steps now to protect our water.As New Hampshire's economy expands and our population grows, the demand for water to meet the needs of our families, businesses, and farms will only increase. As our businesses look to grow, they must be confident that they will have access to adequate water supplies. But our water supplies face a growing threat a threat that could jeopardize the future growth of New Hampshire's businesses and economy. Water is increasingly a commodity, one that is even more valuable than gasoline. At a Concord convenience store recently, a quart of bottled water cost 20 cents more than a gallon of gasoline. Water is now a billion-dollar industry. Why? Well according to one industry website, it's "because people are making a lot of money. They are finding out that water is their liquid gold." We need to recognize the fact that New Hampshire's water resources are precious, finite, and exploitable. I want to protect our "liquid gold" our water resources for the people and businesses of New Hampshire. That's the purpose of three bills I have introduced in the New Hampshire legislature, with the support of a bipartisan group of state senators and representatives. Last summer, the Department of Environmental Services received its largest-ever request for a commercial groundwater withdrawal. A water bottling company is proposing to withdraw 439,000 gallons of water enough for 2,200 families a day from a Nottingham aquifer. This could jeopardize the water supplies of the families and businesses already in this region, and limit the ability of other businesses to grow in the future.Looking at the proposal, I knew we had to do more to protect our water from commercial exploitation. That is why I proposed legislation to improve state oversight of large commercial groundwater withdrawals and give communities more say in the permitting process. Senate Bill 410 will ensure that new large, commercial groundwater withdrawals are approved only if they are compatible with our water management plans; benefit the public; and do not jeopardize water supplies for the future. We must also start thinking about how to better manage our water supplies. A study by the Department of Environmental Services and the Public Utilities Commission completed in August 2001 found that 83 percent of our water supply systems and 70 percent of businesses use no or only the most limited water conservation measures. We can and must do better. I have proposed legislation, Senate Bill 440, which will require the Department of Environmental Services to develop water conservation guidelines for large water users that balance the many demands on our water residential, recreational, environmental and economic. Under this legislation, new large water users will have to put in place these common-sense water conservation measures. We also need to improve the safety and reliability of our municipal water supplies, a concern heightened by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The August 2001 study by DES and the PUC also found that encouraging regional cooperation on water issues will help ensure that New Hampshire's water supplies are safer, more efficient and less vulnerable to disasters, including sabotage. To meet these new challenges, I proposed Senate Bill 437, which clarifies the governor's authority to act to protect our water supplies during an emergency and encourages regional cooperation on water issues. The legislation provides for emergency interconnections in the case of a natural or man-made catastrophe, such as a terrorist attack. It also expands a state grant program to include water projects with a significant regional benefit, especially projects that improve the state's preparedness for a natural or manmade disaster. These are three common-sense bills that will ensure our water resources are there for our families and businesses in the future. The state Senate recognized that, passing all three with a bipartisan majority. But powerful interests are fighting these water bills in the House of Representatives. We cannot let them win. Ben Franklin once said, "When the well's dry, you know the worth of water." Let's not wait until our water resources are so depleted that we are in a crisis. Let's act now to protect our water for the future.