Grant Funding Available to Protect Drinking Water Supply Lands in the Southern I-93 Corridor and Lake Massabesic Watershed

Approximately  $1.3 million is available this fall for grants to protect drinking water supply lands in the southern I-93 corridor communities of Salem, Windham, Derry, Londonderry and Manchester and in the Lake Massabesic Watershed, which includes portions of Auburn, Hooksett, Candia and Chester.

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. Through an agreement with the NH Department of Transportation, this grant money is administered by NHDES’s Water Supply Land Protection Grant Program.

For this grant round, 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.  At the 50 percent level, the state portion is twice what it was in earlier grant rounds.

Eligibility applications are due November 15, 2015. NHDES will notify eligible applicants by December 15, 2015 and final applications will be due February 15, 2015. Grants will be awarded based on priority ranking and availability of funding.

More information on these grants, including a map of the eligible land and copies of application forms, are available on-line at des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/dwspp/land_acqui/ or by contacting Sarah Pillsbury at (603) 271-1168 or sarah.pillsbury@des.nh.gov.

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