Governor Sununu Tours Low-Income Residential Drought Assistance Project on Earth Day

Concord, NH – On Thursday, April 22, the media are invited to join Governor Chris Sununu and NHDES Commissioner Bob Scott on a visit to a home receiving a new well thanks to the Low-Income Residential Drought Assistance Program (DAP). The DAP assists low-income qualifying homeowners experiencing drought-related loss of a safe, reliable source of drinking water at their primary residence. The program created in the fall of 2020 may provide short-term relief with the provision of bottled water and financial assistance for activities associated with improving or replacing the homeowner’s well or connecting the residence to an available community water supply. The Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund Advisory Commission approved funding of $1.5 million to this program in October 2020: Emergency Drought Assistance Initiative (10-23-20).

To date, NHDES has received 88 applications and approved 71 for financial assistance. The total cost of well improvement projects approved in the program is approximately $1.15 million. Ninety percent of the projects are for replacing a dug well with a drilled bedrock well, which solves the lack of water the homeowners are experiencing but also increases the drought resiliency of their water source.  

Event Details:
Time: 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM
Location: 1425 Province Road, Gilmanton

For more information, please contact Jim Martin, NHDES Public Information Officer, at james.martin@des.nh.gov or (603) 568-9777.