Addressing pollution in the Mount Washington Valley watershed.

In the Spring of 2015, USVLT’s Board of Directors launched our “water initiative,” which aims to safeguard our water resources throughout our service area, on both conservation land as well as land that has not yet been conserved. This effort was boosted in 2017, with the receipt of a grant from New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) to address pollution in the region's waterways, including potential groundwater pollution. FB Environmental, a consulting firm based in Portland and Portsmouth, was engaged to identify sources of pollution and assist with ongoing community outreach.

In 2017 and 2018, we met with elected representatives from all of the towns we serve in New Hampshire. A key goal of this work was to have our towns recognize potential sources of pollution and aquifer contamination, and to have selectboards adopt NHDES’ Model Groundwater Protection Ordinance. In March 2019, the Town of Hart's Location voted to adopt the ordinance (click here to learn more about this victory), and three additional towns are now actively pursuing adoption of the ordinance.

This critical work is now being continued by the Saco Headwaters Alliance – a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by USVLT Board members in late 2019. In 2020, the Saco Headwaters Alliance and FB Environmental prepared Watching Our Waters, A Report on Water Resource Monitoring in the Saco Headwaters Watershed. Head to the Saco Headwaters Alliance webpage to learn about the latest news and advocacy efforts to protect the watershed of the Saco River.