NH Senate Passes Landfill Siting Bill

Would create a buffer between polluting landfills and water bodies

landfill with garbage trucks

May 5, 2022 (CONCORD, NH) – New Hampshire’s Senate has passed an important bill that would create a buffer zone for new landfills to prevent toxic pollutants from reaching nearby waterways. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement in response.

“All landfills pollute our air and put our waters at risk of toxic contamination,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President of CLF New Hampshire. “New Hampshire’s lakes, rivers, and coastal waters belong to all of us, and this bill, if signed into law, will dramatically increase protections for these valuable resources. The House, and then Governor Sununu, should support this important legislation.”

The bill (HB 1454) requires a site-specific hydrogeology analysis for proposed landfills and establishes, as a baseline, that there be a buffer ensuring five years of groundwater travel time to the nearest water body. 

CLF experts are available for further comment.

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