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The New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund is a new pot of money offered by NHDES to preserve and protect drinking water in New Hampshire.

This grant and loan program provides money for construction projects to improve drinking water supplies as well as for non-construction projects to conserve land. The 2018 approved projects for construction were recently awarded to 19 communities and include $14 million in grants and $10 million in loans for projects that include water main replacements and extensions, pump house upgrades, and water treatment plant upgrades. 

All construction projects approved in 2018 are listed in the table below and the geographical range of projects are shown in the accompanying map. Over $2 million in grants was also awarded to conserve water supply lands in 15 water districts. This money comes from a lawsuit settlement with Exxon-Mobil which resulted in a $276 million payout to the State of New Hampshire to address pollution to groundwater and drinking water.

This money and any interest it accumulates was used to establish the Trust Fund and is expected to provide an ongoing source of money for many years. Pre-applications are due every year in June with full proposals due in August for non-construction applicants and October for construction applicants.