Clean Watersheds Needs Survey

NHDES is collecting information on stormwater, nonpoint source (NPS) control and wastewater projects throughout New Hampshire for the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS). Results of this survey are used by the U.S. Congress and New Hampshire state legislature in their budgeting efforts, including the allocation of federal grant and loan program funds to states.

What is CWNS?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s CWNS is an assessment of the capital costs (needs) required to meet the water quality goals of the Clean Water Act to address water quality and water-quality-related public health concerns. These capital investment needs are reported periodically to Congress for all 50 states and territories. Although survey typically occurs every four years, the last one was completed in 2012, so participation in the 2022 survey is crucial to reflect up to date needs!

Purpose of the CWNS

EPA documents national and state needs in a Report to Congress and is used by Congress and state legislatures in their budgeting efforts, such as the allocation of funds to states through grant and loan programs. These data are also used to help measure environmental progress, contribute to academic research, provide information to the public, and help local and state governments implement water quality programs.

CWNS is the only nationwide survey that collects this type of information to determine appropriate funding!

Survey Scope

The CWNS covers all unfunded project(s) and associated capital costs that address a water quality or water quality-related public health problem existing as of January 1, 2022 or expected to occur within the next 20 years. Projects must be eligible for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) to be included in CWNS.

NHDES is collecting data on:

• All three stormwater categories: gray infrastructure, green infrastructure, and general stormwater management.
• One NPS Control category, hydromodification, which includes dam removal and repair, streambank stabilization and more.
• Wastewater projects including facility updates and CSO management.

New Hampshire’s Approach

New Hampshire municipalities will be contacted to provide information for all eligible projects through documents such as Capital Improvement Plans, watershed management plans and unfunded grant and loan applications, and other pertinent documents. Municipalities will be contacted by both the NHDES Wastewater Engineering Bureau, who is collecting wastewater data and Comprehensive Environmental, Inc. (CEI), who is collecting stormwater and NPS control data on behalf of the Watershed Management Bureau. To participate in the survey, municipalities are asked to respond to requests for information by both NHDES and CEI. 

To better represent New Hampshire’s stormwater needs, data from municipalities with documented projects will be used to estimate the funding needs of municipalities without documentation. This EPA-approved approach was used in 2012 to more accurately represent New Hampshire’s stormwater needs.

Additionally, as was done during the 2012 CWNS effort, NHDES is leveraging the opportunity to also collect data for stormwater and NPS control projects that are not eligible for CWNS. This includes non-capital costs (such as operation and maintenance) and non-CWSRF eligible projects. The two data sets will be combined and used by the state to report on what NHDES terms “New Hampshire State Stormwater Needs.”

For more information, visit the NHDES CWNS webpage.