1-1.  SURFACE WATERS

Watersheds and Water bodies

The principal surface water resources in the Town of Newmarket include the Lamprey River, the Piscassic River, Folletts Brook, and the Great Bay Estuary.  Although the Lamprey River is the largest river in town, flowing through the heart of downtown, only the northerly and northwest portions of the town, including the northern half of Tuttle Swamp, are within its direct watershed.  The downtown area, portions of the Bay Road/Smith Garrison Road and areas along New Road drain to the tidal portion of the lower Lamprey River (below Macallan Dam).  Much of the land area in Newmarket, including nearly the entire southern half of town west of Route 108, is contained within the Piscassic River watershed.  The Piscassic River is a major tributary to the Lamprey River and flows northerly out of Newfields through much of the area around Ash Swamp Road, Grant Road and Lang’s Lane.  The river then flows beneath Route 152, spills over the dam at the Packers Falls Road and then joins up with the Lamprey River about ½ mile downstream.  The lower Piscassic River, below the Packers Falls Dam, is often mistakenly considered to be part of the Lamprey River because it is an extension of the impounded waters behind the Macallen Dam that is located downstream on the Lamprey River.  The confluence with the Lamprey River is actually located just north of the Durham/Newmarket town line. 

Folletts Brook flows southeasterly out of Durham and joins up with the Piscassic River just above the Packers Falls Road dam.   Only the lower third of Folletts Brook watershed is within the Newmarket boundaries.   Prior to 1990, Folletts Brook was used as the principal municipal water supply source following treatment at the Packers Falls Road water treatment plant.   The Piscassic River was used as a backup water supply source.  In the last ten years, the Town has principally relied on groundwater from its two municipal wells.  The Town has recently committed to reactivating its water treatment plant to meet the growing municipal water supply demand. 

From the time its flow was first harnessed to power the grist and saw mills that began developing along its banks in the mid-1600s, the Lamprey River has always been a central cultural and natural resource feature for the Town of Newmarket.  The Macallan Dam, located within the mill complex along Main Street, separates the tidal portion of the river from the freshwater flow.  The average flow is about 19 cubic feet per second (cfs) and, historically, has ranged from a high of more than 2,500 cfs to a low of 1 cfs.  The entire drainage area consists of about 212 square miles with its headwaters originating in the Town of Deerfield.  Today, the Lamprey River supports a variety of recreational uses including boating, fishing, swimming in certain areas, and ice fishing and skating in the winter.   It is considered to have significant ecological value, supporting some of the most important anadromous fishery habitat in the State, as well as providing aquatic habitat for numerous wildlife and waterfowl species.   It is also the largest river that discharges into the Great Bay.  The lower Lamprey River represents a major access point for boaters and other recreational enthusiasts using the Great Bay.   In 1996, federal legislation classified the river segment within the Towns of Lee, Durham and Newmarket as part of the Wild and Scenic River

Program, administered by the National Park Service.

Much of the eastern portion of Town (i.e., east of Route 108) drains toward the Great Bay or the tidal portion of the Lamprey River.  Lubberland Creek, which runs along Bay Road, is one of several smaller streams that drain directly to the Great Bay and should be included in the planning process to address future growth in the Town.  The Great Bay Protection Partnership Program, the NH Estuary Project, and the Nature Conservancy regard undeveloped shoreline areas around the Great Bay as high priority areas for habitat and water quality protection. The Conservancy has recently acquired conservation easements on several parcels along this creek and is continuing to seek other easements on other parcels.  The creek originates in wetlands along Dame Road in Durham and then drains southerly crossing beneath Bay Road and enters the Great Bay along the north side of Moody Point.   The lower portions of the Creek contain extensive salt and freshwater wetlands.   Much of the watershed associated with this stream remains as either open fields and forested areas with sparsely located homes.   A portion of a new residential subdivision off Dame Road, referred to as Gonet Drive, is located in this watershed.

There are two other relatively significant perennial streams that originate behind the Newmarket self-storage facility off Route 108 (aka Beaudet Farm) and flow easterly crossing beneath New Road and into Great Bay.   Currently, the existing land use within the watersheds of these two small tributaries consists of open fallow fields and wooded areas.  The Beaudet farm parcel contains about 162 acres that are included in the Business (B2) zoning district, representing one of the largest commercially zoned parcels in Town, and has recently been targeted for a potential Business Park.  If this park was to be developed, adequate storm water management measures and buffer areas should be implemented into any site design to minimize any adverse impacts of water quality to the Great Bay.  In addition, this site contains two bedrock test wells that could potentially provide substantial water supply yields based on preliminary well driller’s information from more than 10 years ago.  The Town will need to consider whether to take the necessary steps to protect the future use of this bedrock aquifer and prevent the potential recharge and water quality impacts from any proposed development (See Public Water Supplies Section).

Several other large, undeveloped parcels that also exist in this New Road area currently provide valuable aesthetic views of the Bay and extensive wildlife habitat.  These properties could easily succumb to increasing residential development pressures in the near future if protection measures are not implemented, as the Town continues to grow from the regional population growth. 

Protection Measures

Stratified Drift Aquifers

Local Protection Measures

Surface water resources are protected through various measures and requirements contained in Newmarket’s zoning ordinances.  A principal measure includes the two-acre minimum lot size requirement for residential (R1) zoned areas, which account for roughly 70 % of the land area in Newmarket.   This measure minimizes the amount of impervious area coverage and dissipates any potential adverse effects related to on-site septic systems by imposing adequate separation distances between systems.   In addition, the Class A Watershed Protection Overlay District (Sect. 5.04) requires

that any new septic system must be set back a minimum of 125 feet from Class A water, which includes the Piscassic River and Folletts Brook. The Shoreline Protection Overlay District (Sec. 5.02), which includes all land areas within 125 feet of the Great Bay, the Lamprey River, the Piscassic River and Follett’s Brook, contains specific restrictions, such as the amount of vegetation that can be removed, the minimum amount of shoreland frontage, structure setbacks and the amount of shoreland frontage that can be used for water access. The Aquifer Protection Overlay District (Sec. 5.00), Wetland Protection Overlay District (Sec. 5.03) and Steep Slope Protection Overlay District (Sec. 5.05) also contain certain land development restrictions to protect water quality.

The Lamprey River Advisory Committee is a citizen’s advisory committee established for the designated river segment in Lee and Durham area under the State's Rivers Management and Protection Program (See Description Below).  Representatives from Newmarket and Epping were added when communities elected to join Lee and Durham in the federal Wild & Scenic River study of the Lamprey. The primary role of the Committee is to advise communities and NHDES in developing and implementing a management plan for the river.  The federal study and a draft management plan have been completed.  The plan addresses water quality and flow, ecological resources, recreation, and historical resources. It contains recommendations for regional protection efforts, which Newmarket should consider when developing its policies. One of the principal goals is to encourage communities to adopt a septic system setback distance of 150 feet along the Lamprey River and its tributaries.  Currently, Newmarket uses a 75 feet setback along the Lamprey River, and 125 feet along the Piscassic River and Folletts Brook.  Again, relatively minor portions of Town in the western and eastern ends of Town drain directly to the Lamprey River, so adoption of this setback would affect limited areas.

State or Regional Protection Programs

At the State level, NHDES administers several programs and regulations that are designed to protect surface water quality.  These NHDES Programs include the Nonpoint Source Pollution Assessment Program, the Site Terrain Alteration Permit Program, the Protection of the Purity of Surface Water Supplies rule (Env-Ws 386) and the Surface Water Classification System to name a few. The following summarizes the principal requirements for each Program:

Site Alteration (“Site Specific”) Program

NHDES has jurisdictional review and a permitting process for all land development activities that will disturb an area of more than 100,000 square feet, or 50,000 square feet in locations within 250 feet of a designated public water body, to insure that adequate erosion control and storm water management measures will be implemented to treat runoff before it leaves the proposed site.    The selection and the design of the various treatment devices available should be done in accordance with the NH Storm Water Management and Erosion Control Handbook for Urban and Developing Areas in New Hampshire (referred to as the “Green Book”).

Protection of the Purity of Surface Water Supplies (Env-Ws 386)

Commonly referred to as the State Watershed Rule, this Program enables a water supplier or municipality to develop specific protection requirements to protect a surface water supply source

over large watershed areas and especially where such watersheds extend into other municipalities. Upon review and approval by NHDES, the protective provisions are then adopted as part of NHDES’s administrative rules, with the water supplier remaining as the principal enforcer.  Currently, there are 30 out of 57 active surface water sources statewide that have adopted some level of protection under this Rule.  The requirements generally include the use of buffer zones with widths typically ranging between 75 to 200 feet, various land use restrictions and some prohibit boating or swimming.  This Rule enables municipalities to broaden the use of storm water treatment devices, buffer zones, infiltration measures for ground water recharge, or other land use restrictions to protect the quality of the water supply where such measures would not otherwise be required by other state or local environmental regulation.

Surface Water Quality Standards (Env-Ws 430)

NH DES has established water quality standards that are applicable to all surface waters.  These standards are usually numerical limits for various parameters, including E. coli bacteria, nutrients, turbidity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and various metals and other toxic substances.    Certain activities that have the potential to degrade the water quality and to cause instream concentrations to exceed these standards are prohibited.   These standards are tied to water use classifications, of which there are two, Class A and Class B. Class A waters are considered to be of the highest quality and are generally acceptable for use as public drinking water sources after filtration and disinfection.   There shall be no discharge of any sewage or wastes into waters of this classification.   Class B waters are considered to be the second highest quality and are generally acceptable for bathing and other recreational purposes, and after adequate treatment, for use as water supplies.  Piscassic River and Folletts Brook are the only water bodies designated as Class "A" waters given their historical and soon to be a reactivated use as a public water supply.   All of the other water bodies in Newmarket are considered to be Class "B" waters.  The State performs periodic monitoring to assess whether the desired water quality conditions are being met.

River Protection and Management Act

Under this program specific river segments are designated, following nomination by local interests, to receive additional protection against discharges, land use activities along the shoreline, flow alterations and water withdrawals (currently pending new regulations).  Currently, there are twelve (12) river segments associated with the major river systems throughout the state that are designated under this program.  One of these includes an 11.5-mile segment of the Lamprey River from Epping to the Durham/Newmarket town line.   This Lamprey River segment designation prompted the establishment of the Lamprey River Advisory Committee composed of local representatives with a goal of assessing the needs and recommending, where necessary, local water protection initiatives as discussed above. 

NH Estuaries Project and Coastal Program

Recently the NH Estuaries Project (NHEP), administered under the Office of State Planning, released a Draft Management Plan that identifies and recommends various water quality and habitat protection goals and action plans that are considered necessary to protect the aquatic and

shoreline resources of the Great Bay Estuary and other coastal waters.   The NHEP Management Plan draws from various studies and monitoring activities and identifies numerous action plans to improve or protect resources.

The following summarizes some of the higher priority action plans identified for improving or protecting water quality at the local level:

Sewer and Storm Mapping; Illicit Connection Elimination

Encourage and assist coastal communities to update and/or complete mapping of their sewer and storm drain systems, eliminate sewer and storm drain cross connections and illicit discharges, and conduct shoreline surveys to identify pollution sources.  

Minimize Water Quality and Quantity Impacts Associated with New Development

Encourage and assist communities in updating their zoning ordinances and site plan review requirements to ensure that water quality and quantity from new development are minimized to the maximum extent practical at the Planning Board stage of development.   The Plan discusses the need to ensure that communities have adequate erosion and sediment control and storm water management requirements in their ordinances and to encourage a broader use of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) for site development below the 100,000/50,000 square foot state thresholds under the site-specific program.   The Plan recommends adoption of protective ordinances for projects disturbing more than 20,000 square feet.  The Plan also states that approximately 60% of Newmarket’s land area is potentially developable.

Provide education information to coastal residents concerning proper septic system maintenance and failure detection.  Nearly 85% of the Newmarket housing units are on municipal sewer so this information, although very useful to the individual homeowner, may not have widespread effectiveness.

Prioritize and upgrade municipal wastewater treatment plants to reduce overflows or treatment bypasses due to hydraulic overloading.  Newmarket is currently assessing its water treatment infrastructure needs through an update to its 2001 Facilities Plan Report.

Wetlands

The Inventoried Wetlands Map illustrates the extent of wetland areas around Newmarket, as defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  According to this map, approximately 26 percent of Newmarket’s land area is comprised of wetland areas and, particularly, much of the western part of town. A large wetland area referred to as Tuttle Swamp occurs along the Lee-Newmarket town line and runs south along the western side of Ash Swamp Road.  This area is considered to be a major groundwater discharge area that receives drainage from the surrounding upland areas.  The northern half of Tuttle Swamp supplies water to the Lamprey River system while the southern half of the wetland system drains to the Piscassic River system. 

There are also extensive wetland areas along the Piscassic River corridor.  These wetlands provide for flood control during high flow periods.  Other wetland areas of note include the extensive salt marshes along the Great Bay shoreline near New Road and in the north near Lubberland Creek. Wetland areas are delineated primarily by the soil classification and by the presence of either very poorly drained soils (Hydric A soils) or poorly drained soils (Hydric B soils).  Aside from water-related issues, these wetlands provide an extensive network of habitat for a variety of flora and fauna.  

Protection Measures

Newmarket has adopted a Wetland Protection Overlay District as part of the zoning ordinances to protect wetland areas.   In general, only limited construction or disturbances are allowed in wetland areas, primarily for purposes of driveway crossings, utility easements and access to surface waters (access ways to surface waters must be elevated on pilings) and only if granted by Special Exception by the ZBA.  A buffer zone outside the wetland area may also be imposed depending on the hydric soil classification (See below). Often the application of buffers without consideration of the environmental value of the wetland results in degradation of particularly valuable wetlands and the over-protection of lesser value wetlands, which often unreasonably inhibits development.  Mitigation approaches have become the new fad and may warrant examination by the Planning Board if a new ordinance is considered.

Also, wetlands considered to be of special local significance due to their habitat value, hydrologic functions or flood storage or important valuable functions can be designated as a prime wetland and receive the highest level of protection.  The prime wetland designation must be conducted in accordance with NHDES criteria.  Currently, the Conservation Commission is working with a wetland specialist to identify wetland areas in Newmarket that may meet the prime designation criteria. The Conservation Commission will use the results of this study to nominate qualified wetland areas for prime wetland area designations.  The following describes other restrictions that apply to different types of wetlands:

Hydric A soils – Wetland areas containing very poorly drained soils may not be included in the minimum lot size as required by Section 3.02 of the Wetlands Overlay Protection District.  A buffer area or no disturbance zone of 25 feet is imposed for these types of wetlands.

Hydric B Soils - No more than 25 % of a wetland area containing poorly drained soils can be included in the minimum lot size as required by Section 3.02 of the Wetlands Overlay Protection District.

Designated Prime Wetlands – Prime wetland areas may not be included in the minimum lot size as required per Section 3.02.  There shall be no disturbance of any kind within a prime wetland area or within a buffer area of 50 feet around a prime wetland.  Structures must be setback a minimum of 100 feet from the edge of prime wetlands. 

Flood Plains

Flood plains are generally low-lying areas adjacent to rivers, streams and other surface water bodies, which are susceptible to flooding during periods of excessive water run-off.  These flood plains perform an important water storage function in times of flooding by limiting damage in adjacent areas.  The map is located in the Planning Offices of the Newmarket Town Hall, and delineates the flood plain boundaries in Newmarket as determined by the National Flood Insurance Program, a federal program administered by

the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NFIM Program is designed to manage flood plains and restrict development in flood plains in order to reduce flood hazards and structural damage.  Under this program, flood hazard areas are mapped and studied in participating communities.   The community is then responsible for adopting and enforcing flood management regulations within designated areas.  In turn, the federal government makes flood insurance available to citizens with property in the flood area.

Newmarket has been a participating community in this program since 1991.  It has continually updated its ordinances to maintain this status, with the last update occurring in May 1998.  The 100- year flood zone limits are well delineated along the Lamprey River, Piscassic River and its tributaries, Lubberland Creek, Folletts Brook and Tuttle Swamp as well as along the tributaries to the Great Bay. These flood plains along Newmarket's watercourses are generally consistent with the wetland area limits in town and restrict any structural development within these areas, except by Special Permit.  

Although the flood plains are relatively well protected, one of the other contributing factors to increased flooding relates to the increased imperviousness and potential filling of wetlands in the upper watersheds as a result of increased development.  Increases in impervious areas are also causes for greater peak flow rates and less natural dissipation of flood flows if not adequately controlled onsite. 

One of the largest floods in recent history occurred in October 1996, when nearly 14 inches fell over a 48-hour period. The community fortunately appeared to escape with very little structural damage.  However, floodwaters did reach levels that covered portions of Route 108 creating a hazard and inconvenience to motorists and made for a potentially vulnerable situation for emergency vehicle access.  One of the roadway portions affected consists of the Route 108 section near the Gerry Avenue intersection where Moonlight Brook flows into a culvert beneath the roadway and the Evans Convenience Store.  It appeared that the culvert was undersized to handle the flow causing water to back up and spill across the roadway.  Another flooded section of Route 108 occurred north of Town just over the Durham town line near the Durham Boat Company, which was closed for several days causing vehicular traffic to be detoured from the state highway and onto town roads.   

Protection Measures

Newmarket has a Flood Plain Protection Overlay District as part of the zoning ordinance that was amended in May 1998.  The Overly District includes all areas within the 100-year flood plain zone as delineated on the FEMA mapping as an “A” zone or is determined by a specified flood elevation.   Basically, this ordinance requires that any new development within a flood plain zone must obtain a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer and the lowest floor elevation (including basement) must be built at or above the 100-year flood elevation.  All new construction or substantial improvements shall be designed or modified and adequately anchored to prevent floatation, collapse from, or lateral movement from the effects of floodwaters. 

Although the current subdivision and site design regulations do require onsite storm water controls to reduce peak flows from new development, a more regional or watershed-wide hydrologic analysis may also be needed to evaluate the cumulative effect of multiple development projects in the watershed.  Even though runoff from each individual development might be adequately controlled, as the larger watershed becomes more and more developed there is a cumulative effect that influences the timing and magnitude of peak flow conditions downstream.   In addition, frequently roadway culverts or storm drains are sized based on current conditions and years later as more development has occurred within the watershed, these culverts may end up being undersized to handle the increased peak flows.  Also, the current local subdivision and site design regulations may need to be amended to clarify that post-development peak flow rates should not exceed predevelopment flow rates for the smaller runoff events (i.e., 2 year design storm) as well as the larger 25 year storm event.  As it is currently stated, it is not abundantly clear whether onsite peak flow control for the smaller runoff events is required.  

1-2 Groundwater Resources

Stratified drift aquifers consist of well-sorted, sand and gravel deposits that are typically laid out in layers by historic glacial outwash streams and rivers.  Depending on the depth and the coarseness of the material, these deposits generally provide good sources of groundwater because of their high capacity to store groundwater over large areas.   Newmarket's most productive groundwater resource is a stratified drift aquifer generally referred to as the Newmarket Plains Aquifer located in the northwest part of town along Route 152 near Lee Hook Road.  The Groundwater Resources and Hazards Map shows the limits of this stratified aquifer as delineated by the US Geological Survey (Moore 1990).   The surficial area of the aquifer is estimated to be about 410 acres or 0.64 square miles and is about 60 to 80 feet deep at its deepest point (Moore 1990). This aquifer represents the town's primary source of drinking water using two municipal wells, the Bennett and Sewall Wells.  A 1988 report by Dufresne-Henry Inc. indicated that the average daily safe yield for the two wells was about 0.47 million gallons per day (mgd) based on a 16-hour pumping day. 

A recent study conducted by the EPA indicated that the ground water levels in this aquifer were dropping steadily from year to year and by the year 2010 could reach critical levels where the wells may no longer be usable, if the amount of withdrawal was not reduced (D. Heath, 1998).   A subsequent study by Dufresne-Henry that focused on identifying the contributing area to the wells or the Wellhead Protection Area, confirmed that the aquifer was being over-pumped and that the town should reduce its pumping withdrawals by 50% to allow the aquifer to recover (Dufresne-Henry, Inc, 1999).   In response, Newmarket has recently committed to reactivating its water treatment plant in the year 2001 to allow a reduction in use of these wells (See Public Water Supply Section). 

There are only two other identified stratified-drift aquifer deposits in Newmarket.  One exists along Bald Hill Road in the western portion of the town, and the other deposit is situated directly beneath Route 108 and extends from about the Rockingham Golf Course area north to about the railroad crossing.  Neither of these deposits are considered to have high water supply potential because these deposits are relatively shallow with depths of less than 20 feet and are also narrow extending out only 300 to 400 feet in width.   In addition, the existing development along Route 108 presents a risk of contamination. The Bald Hill deposit is about 4 to 5 miles from the existing municipal service area and, therefore, is not likely to warrant the high cost of a lengthy supply and distribution pipeline.

Protection Measures

The Newmarket Plains Aquifer is protected by the local zoning ordinances that define the Aquifer Protection District (APD) and the Well Head Protection District (WHPD) (recent proposed amendment in March 2000, which is pending Town Council approval). A wide majority of the residents who filled out the Master Plan Feedback sheets, handed out during the Primary Election in February, stated that protection of the existing groundwater water supply was one of the most important issues facing the Town as it prepares for the future.

The Aquifer Protection District (APD) includes the entire area within the boundaries of this stratified-drift aquifer as previously defined the US Geological Survey (Moore, 1990).  The Wellhead Protection District (WHPD) consists of a smaller portion of the aquifer that contributes direct recharge to the Bennett and Sewall wells as recently presented in Figure 4-11 of the Delineation of the Wellhead Protection Area; Newmarket Plains Aquifer Report prepared by Dufresne-Henry, Inc. in December 1999.

Within both of these zoning districts essentially all land use activities that involve the use of potentially harmful substances are prohibited. This includes the storage, disposal or handling of any hazardous materials, as well as other materials such as sludge, biosolids, manure, solid wastes, construction materials, stumps, etc. Industrial uses, automotive repair shops, salvage yards, mining of land (except mining operations that are currently permitted under the excavation regulations at the time of this ordinance) are also prohibited.  All impervious surfaces in excess of 2,500 square feet or 10% of the total area shall provide for artificial groundwater infiltration to accommodate a 2-year storm event.   Land areas within the Aquifer Protection District are calculated as providing one unit of density per two acres; land within the wellhead protection area shall provide a density calculation of 1 unit per 3 acres.  Open space developments are also permitted using the above density calculation. 

Existing nonconforming uses may continue and may be maintained, repaired and improved, unless such use is determined to be an imminent hazard to public health and safety by the Town Council or the Health Officer.   Nonconforming sand and gravel operations may continue if they are in existence at the time of the adoption of this article and are in compliance with all governing local and state regulations.   However, sand and gravel operations in the WHPA must apply for a conditional use permit once the previously approved excavation permit has expired.   Several other more prominent changes to these protection ordinances include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Mining excavations, at no time, shall occur below 4 feet above the seasonal high water table (SHWT). Compliance with this provision shall be determined by the submission of an annual report showing the SHWT as established by test pits (2 test pits per acre) and witnessed by a licensed NH Soil Scientist.

All refueling and vehicle maintenance shall be done, to extent practical, outside the Aquifer Protection District, unless such activity can be completed on an impervious surface or other facility that will contain the spread of an inadvertent spill and subject to approval. 

The minimum lot size in the APD shall be no less than 2 acres, and in the WHPD, the minimum lot size shall be no less than three acres.  In all cases, the density in the WHPD shall not exceed 1 septic system per 3 acres.

Other provisions also apply concerning storm water runoff and drainage facilities. A hydrogeologic study is required for developments involving a disturbance of more than 50,000 square feet on the same parcel over a five-year period.  No development shall cause the nitrate-nitrogen concentration to exceed 5 mg/l beyond the site limits.   All of these provisions, and others not mentioned, are established to protect the groundwater supply source, one of Newmarket’s most valuable resources. Any serious contamination or adverse impact to this aquifer could result in grave consequences to Newmarket’s municipal water supply.  Ideally, the best protective measure would be to leave this aquifer area in open space and prohibit any development within its limits.  However, this would essentially require the Town to purchase outright all land area or at least the development rights to the parcels contained within the aquifer district.    As other groundwater supply sources are discovered or developed in Town, the land area contributing to those aquifers or groundwater resources, regardless of whether they are bedrock or stratified-drift aquifers, should be included in the Aquifer Protection District and/or Wellhead Protection District, as appropriate, to protect this resource(s) from future development impacts.

Bedrock Aquifers

Bedrock aquifers are composed of fractured rock or ledge. Groundwater is stored in voids that are created by the fractures.    On average, bedrock aquifers tend to yield smaller volumes of groundwater than wells drilled in stratified drift, and finding a sizable enough void or fracture can be a costly procedure.   

In 1982, Newmarket contracted a study to produce a fracture trace analysis, which delineates areas of high potential for the occurrence of major bedrock fracture zones.  The study identified four potential areas, including Schanda Farm, Hamel Farm, Neal Mill Road and Bald Hill Road.   One test well was drilled and came up dry. These areas have not been investigated further mostly due to their distance from the existing municipal system and the insufficient water production from the one test well.

In 1987, two other bedrock test wells were installed on the Beaudet Farm property behind the Newmarket self-storage facility off Route 108.   These wells were never fully developed, but based on preliminary information, their combined safe yield was estimated to be more than 300 gpm or nearly 0.3 mgd. Although further testing would be required to substantiate this yield estimate, this potential yield could be significant and is enough water to supply more than 600 homes assuming an estimated daily use of 450 gallons per household.  As with many bedrock wells, the preliminary testing revealed elevated mineral content with high levels of iron and manganese and some elevated levels of radon.  This suggests that the groundwater may have to be treated but, again, this would have to be confirmed through additional testing.  

Aside from the existing Bennett and Sewall wells and the surface waters withdrawn by the water treatment plant, these bedrock wells represent the only other known major potential water supply source in Newmarket.  The wells are located on a parcel of land zoned as a Business (B2) District.   Recently, the Town has included this land area into a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District to help promote the potential development of a business/industrial park.  The goal of developing this land as a business park does not necessarily preclude the future use of these wells for water supply, but the Town should consider taking the initial steps to preserve the option for future use.  One of the initial measures required would be to prohibit any development including roadways within a 400-foot radius around the existing wells to maintain the protective sanitary radius required by NHDES.   Given that it is uncertain as to whether the total combined capacity of the treatment plant and two existing wells will be sufficient to meet the ultimate municipal water demand in Newmarket, it would seem appropriate and reasonable for the Town to take the necessary steps to protect the potential use of these Beaudet Farm wells for a municipal water supply (See next section for full discussion).

Public Water Supply

Newmarket has been fortunate over the last ten years or so for being able to meet its municipal water supply needs with high quality groundwater from the Newmarket Plains stratified-drift aquifer using the Sewall and Bennett Wells.  The groundwater drawn from these wells has required minimal to no treatment, thus making their use highly cost-effective and satisfactory in terms of taste in comparison to other sources, particularly those used in neighboring towns. 

Unfortunately, due to the recent population growth and the expected future growth, the Town will need to augment its supply utilizing other sources to meet the demand.  The Town’s average daily water usage is about 0.5 million gallons per day (mgd), and, during the summer, the daily usage peaks at about 0.7 mgd, due to increased use for lawn watering, car washing, pool usage, etc.  Both the current average and peak daily usage already exceeds the estimated safe yield capacity of 0.471 mgd for the two wells in the Plains aquifer, based on a 16-hour pumping day.  Historically, the wells have generally been pumped for longer periods and as much as 24 hours a day to meet this demand, which has led to over-pumping the aquifer and a lowering of groundwater levels.   As discussed above, a recent engineering study recommended that the pumping withdrawals from these wells be cut back by at least 50 % to allow the aquifer to recover (Dufresne-Henry, Inc., 1999).  

To reduce the use of the wells, funds have been appropriated to reactivate the Packers Falls Road Water Treatment Plant in the year 2000.  The water treatment plant, which was originally built in 1924, draws water primarily from Folletts Brook and the Piscassic River and underwent a major design and equipment upgrade in 1990, at a cost of approximately $2 million.  The plant has been idle for the last ten years, except for a short period in 1997, when the interior of the Great Hill storage tank was being repainted.   It is uncertain as to how long it will take for the aquifer to recharge once the pumping rate is reduced, but it is likely to take several years and maybe as many as 5 to 10 years depending on climatic conditions and the level of use curtailment. 

Reactivating the water treatment plant will require upfront capital costs and improvements, and additional operational and maintenance (O&M) costs.  Preliminarily, the start-up capital costs have been estimated to be around $150,000 based on a needed upgrade of the Packers Falls pumping station, which has insufficient pumping capacity to handle the wastewater flow discharged after the backwash cycles. Depending on the raw water quality and the production needs, the filter media normally needs to be backwashed once per 8 hour shift but, during high turbidity conditions, as many as 8 cycles per day have occurred in the past.  Each backwash cycle lasts about 15 minutes and produces about 60,000 gallons of wastewater that is released to the sanitary sewer system.

It is uncertain as to whether the plant is in compliance with other Safe Drinking Water Act related regulations that have been adopted since 1990.   In 1998, the US EPA adopted an Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment and Filter Backwash Rule, which was designed to increase protection against microbial pathogens such as Cryptosporidium.  This rule targets small community drinking water systems using surface waters to serve populations of less than 10,000.   The Town may need to contract an engineering consultant to conduct a full compliance review of the plant’s equipment and operations.   A certified Water Treatment Plant Operator may need to be hired prior to startup.

The water treatment plant has a production rate capacity of 615 gallons per minute, which translates into a total daily production of 885,600 gallons if operated 24 hours a day.   The actual output to the distribution system could be less, however, due to the use of treated water to perform the backwash cycles.  A minimum of 180,000 gallons of treated water is needed per 24-hour period to perform backwash cycles, which discharges to the sanitary sewer system.  This reduces the total daily output to about 705,000 gallons per day.   If operated for 8 and 16-hour shifts, the daily output total would be about 235,000 and 535,500 gallons, respectively. The total combined production capacity for the treatment plant and the two wells is about 1.18 MGD at full capacity (16 hours per day) and 0.95 MGD if the wells are curtailed to 50% use.  Historically, the water treatment plant has been operated for only 8 hours a day

With a current peak demand of nearly 0.7 mgd, during the summer months, it will be difficult to balance the need to limit the use of the wells and limit the operating hours of the treatment plant to no more than 8 hours a day.   With only about 0.23 mgd provided from the Bennett and Sewall wells during the reduced pumping period, the water treatment plant would need to produce nearly 500,000 gpd, which would require the plant to operate for 16 hours a day.  As the Town population continues to grow, the operating period for the plant may at some point need to go to 24 hours a day to accommodate the daily demand.  When and if this occurs, will depend on the rate of increased demand and the use availability of the Bennett and Sewall wells.  

Future Water Demand

Figure I-1 illustrates how the municipal water demand has nearly doubled since 1975 and is projected to grow in the future as more and more households and businesses are connected to the system.  As discussed in the Population Section, Newmarket’s population is expected to be around 8,330 residents by the end of 2000 and is projected to grow to about 11,550 residents by the year 2020.  To accommodate another 3,220 residents, about 1,300 new homes would have to be built, assuming 2.5 people per home.   This translates into about 65 new homes per year for the next 20 years.   Currently, there are an estimated 3,332 dwelling units (i.e., apartments, homes, condos, etc.) that exist in Newmarket and about 85% of these homes are connected to the municipal water system (Underwood Engineers, Jan. 14, 2000).  Dividing the total average daily use of roughly 0.5 mgd by the 2,832 dwelling units that are currently on the system results in an estimated average per household use of 177 gallons per day.  Commercial and business uses currently account for somewhere between 5 to 10 % of the total usage (G. Laney, Pers. Comm., January 2000).  Commercial use may become a much larger component if commercial development was to occur in town. 

Assuming the same percentage of the new homes would be connected to the system, the average daily water demand could increase by another 210,000 gallons to about 0.71 mgd in the next 20 years.   This projected average daily usage could still be met by the combined capacity of the water treatment plant and the wells, assuming that the plant can operate for at least 16 hours a day and/or the groundwater levels recover in the Plains aquifer, allowing the full use of the Bennett and Sewall wells.   However, the peak daily use, which may be about 0.9 to 1.0 mgd, could be more difficult to meet since it is close to the ultimate supply capacity. 

Notes:   -              Future average daily use estimates are based on the estimated number of dwelling units multiplied by the average daily per unit usage of 177 gpd based on current meter data.  No new major commercial or industrial uses were included.

-               Future peak daily use estimates are based on a theoretical peaking factor of 2.0 times the average daily use which is a recommended design standard for Small Public Drinking Water Systems based on NHDES Design Rules (Env-Ws 372).                

Ultimately, at full build-out conditions, the Town could reach a total population of about 14,200 people, according to data presented in the recent Draft 2001 Facilities Update Report prepared by Underwood Engineers, Inc. (January 14, 2000).  This projected population is based on an estimate of 6,502 acres of total buildable land area in Newmarket after subtracting out development constraints such as Hydric A soils, steep slopes, roads and utility corridors.  Given the minimum lot sizes allowed by the current zoning ordinances, this amount of buildable land area could support a total of approximately 6,268 dwelling units.   As mentioned above, there are about 3,332 homes that currently exist, which means about 2,900 more homes could be added in the future.   This could eventually raise the average daily water demand to around 0.85 mgd, assuming that 75% of all homes are connected to the system.  The peak daily water demand is likely to be well over 1.0 mgd, which could exceed the available capacity. 

Even though many new homes are not likely to be connected to the water system as the more remote areas of Town are developed, a fair amount of “fill-in” or “spur” development is still likely to occur within the limits of current distribution system over the next few years.  There are more than 300 homes and condominium units that were previously approved but not yet built in the Ladyslipper, Bennett Way and Hersey Lane area, which will all be serviced by municipal water and sewer. This development activity could initiate additional development in other large, adjacent, undeveloped parcels in this area.   The Piscassic River Village subdivision off Grant Road represents another recent major ”spur” type development, consisting of more than 30 homes, which extended water service a little farther down Grant Road.  This type of expansion is likely to increase as Grant Road and other similar roads are subject to development pressures in the future.  In addition, the recently proposed redevelopment of the Bay Road-side Mill Buildings is estimated to have 40 to 60 condominium units within the next 18 months. The estimates of future demand, discussed above, do not include any major allocation for commercial and business development.  The proposed Black Bear Business Park off Route 108 could add another substantial water demand, depending how much and what type of commercial space is developed.

Given the current rapid pace of development, the recent low groundwater levels in the Plains aquifer, and the uncertainties surrounding the water treatment plant, the Town may need to limit the number of service connections that can be allowed each year and prohibit any geographic expansion of the municipal water service area.   These restrictions should continue for at least five years or at least until the water treatment plant has been operating and its efficiency and ultimate capacity can be re-determined.   The Town should also commission a study to conduct a proper pump test and water quality testing to determine the viability of the Beaudet wells as an additional water source. If the Piscassic River is included in the instream flow management policy, this has the potential to affect the future withdrawal rates during low flow periods and possibly may limit any future expansion in capacity.

It is important to point out that NHDES is currently in the process of adopting in-stream flow regulations that would restrict water withdrawals during low flow conditions in river segments currently designated for added protection under the River Management and Protection Act.  Although neither the Piscassic River nor the lower portions of the Lamprey River in Newmarket are currently designated for protection under this program, this status could change or the program could be expanded to include non-designated river segments.  In addition, the Town of Durham and the University of New Hampshire also use the Lamprey River as a secondary water supply upstream just above Wiswall Dam. This location is within a designated river segment of the Lamprey River corridor, and may raise concerns or increase scrutiny about downstream water uses similar to those in Newmarket.

1-3.  POTENTIAL THREATS TO WATER RESOURCES

Point Source Pollution

The term point source generally refers to any industrial or municipal sanitary wastewater discharge from an outlet pipe. These types of discharges must obtain a permit under the EPA National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which are generally reissued every 5 years and have specific monitoring and reporting requirements.  The Newmarket Wastewater Treatment Facility, which discharges into the Lamprey River below the Macallan dam and below the water treatment plant intake, represents the only permitted discharge in Newmarket.  Upstream of Newmarket, the Town of Epping also holds a permit to discharge treated municipal wastewater.   Newmarket’s most recent permit renewal requires that the outfall pipe be equipped with a diffuser that extends out into the river to increase the dilution potential for potentially toxic parameters such as copper and zinc.

Newmarket’s wastewater system was recently evaluated and described in the Draft 201 Facilities Update Report prepared by Underwood Engineers, Inc. (January 14, 2000).   The report states that the average daily flow to the plant is nearing the plant’s capacity. During storm events flow often exceeds capacity, resulting in overflow and the discharge of partially treated wastewater.  The engineers recommend that the plant capacity be upgraded from 0.85 mgd to 1.25 mgd within the next 20 years.  The study found that not only has increased development in Town contributed to increased sanitary flows, but also due to the fact that several sewer segments are upwards to 100 years old, there is higher than normal amounts of groundwater infiltrating into the system. This infiltration unnecessarily uses up the system capacity and causes a greater frequency of overloads.  The Town should investigate these older suspect areas and plan on upgrading sewer drain lines as necessary.  Also, storm drain connections should be eliminated wherever possible.   In 1999, the DPW Sewer Division eliminated five sewer cross connections to the storm drain system in the areas of Gerry Avenue, Main Street and Central Street.                                    

In addition, several of the five main pumping stations in town will need to be upgraded.  Often times, if the pumping stations are hydraulically overloaded, the excess flow backs up and spills directly into nearby waters. The Creighton Street pumping station, which is one of the primary pumping stations servicing much of the downtown area, was overhauled and upgraded in 2000.  The Packers Falls Road and the Cedar Street pumping stations were upgraded in 2000 to handle the backwash wastewater from the water treatment plant.   The Bay Road pumping station may need to be upgraded given the continued development in that service area, especially in the Moody Point area.  Also, this station will receive added flows from the recently proposed residential development in the Bay Road side of the vacant mill buildings. The 6-inch diameter force main that connects the pumping station to the wastewater treatment plant limits the ultimate capacity of the Bay Road pumping station.   This pipe, which was installed many years ago, is located beneath the bed of the Lamprey River. With the continued growth anticipated in the Bay Road service area, this pipe may need to be upgraded which could be a very costly procedure.   The Town may need to consider limiting the amount of service connections or any expansion in the Bay Road service area. 

Non-Point Pollution Sources

Non-point pollution sources primarily consists of the diffuse and intermittent flow of stormwater runoff from paved surfaces and other land use activities that may influence the quality of, or release contaminants into the receiving waters.   This also includes other non-stormwater related sources such as leaking storage tanks or improperly designed or malfunctioning septic systems.  In general, surface waters become increasingly more vulnerable to non-point source pollution as development density and the percentage of impervious areas increases due to increased volumes and less filtering from natural vegetated areas.  Groundwater tends to be a little more protected because of the layers of rock and soil that filter out most contaminants. 

NHDES’s most recent statewide Nonpoint Source Management Plan published in 1997, identifies and ranks fourteen categories of Nonpoint Pollution Sources (NPS) that warrant additional attention, education and treatment measures to abate or minimize their potential harmful effects on aquatic resources.  The following list identifies the NPS categories, in order of priority, based on a combination of several factors.  These factors include potential dangers to public health, magnitude and pervasiveness of the potential threat, potential impacts to receiving waters, professional judgement, ability of existing regulatory programs to control pollution, adequacy of existing educational programs to promote pollution control, and public perception:

Stormwater Runoff

Subsurface Systems

Hydromodification (i.e, dams, channel alterations, water withdrawals)

Road Maintenance

Junkyards

Construction

Marinas

Unlined Landfills

Land disposal of Biosolids and Septage

Agriculture (Hobby and Commercial)

Silviculture

Resource Extraction

Storage Tanks (Above and Below Ground)

Golf Course and Landscaping

The regulatory controls for the various NPS categories are somewhat less defined or structured in comparison to point sources since only a few activities or categories require permits or regulatory review.  NHDES does require the use of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) for water quality control for projects disturbing more than 100,000 square feet (or 50,000 square feet within 250 feet of public water body) as part of the state Site Specific Permit Program.  These BMPS include the use of grassed swales, filter strips, extended-detention basins, wet ponds, etc. and buffer areas along wetlands, streams and rivers to allow for some natural dissipation.  However, both NHDES and the EPA recommend a broader use of these stormwater BMPs for other smaller site development projects. Currently, the Planning Board can require additional stormwater treatment measures such as oil/water separators for parking lots and other paved surfaces in close proximity to the Lamprey River, Piscassic River, Great Bay or other areas of concern as stated in Section 3.07 of Newmarket’s Site Plan Review Regulations.   The Planning Board should take a more focused effort to require such measures particularly for proposed commercial projects near these waterways. This includes the proposed redevelopment of the mills, given the close proximity to the river, where treatment devices such as catch-basins with sediment sumps and oil/water separators or other similar manufactured treatment technologies should be included in the drainage design.  There are now various manufactured devices or treatment technologies on the market that are designed to capture sediments and petroleum byproducts from paved surfaces.  The design and treatment goals for such devices should be consistent with the design guidance contained in the NHDES Stormwater BMP Manual (“Green Book”)

Currently, in Newmarket, buffer area setbacks are also required for wetlands with Hydric A soils (25 feet), prime wetlands (100 feet) or within the Class A Watershed District meaning the shoreline of the Piscassic River or Folletts Brook (125 feet).    The Town may want to promote a broader use of vegetative buffer areas or structural setbacks in other wetland areas and along tributaries to these major water bodies.  The State also requires a septic system setback of 75 feet from surface waters as part of the Subsurface Wastewater design standards.  Newmarket requires a minimum of a 125-foot setback along shoreline areas of the Piscassic River and Folletts Brook.  The Lamprey River Advisory Committee has advised that the septic system setback be increased to 150 feet along shoreline areas of the Lamprey River.  This recommended setback distance would affect limited areas in Town including areas along the tidal portion of the Lamprey River such as New Road, Smith Garrison Road, Moody Point, properties along the west side of Route 108, north of downtown, and undeveloped parcels around the northern portions of Tuttle Swamp.

The following represents several of the known non-point pollution sources located in Newmarket according to NHDES records:

• Landfill-Ash Swamp Road (Covered and closed in 1998)

• Sand/gravel operations along Route 152 (several are in the Plains Aquifer Protection district)

• Junkyard-NH 152 (also in the Plains APD)

• Salt storage pile (covered)- New Road-Young Lane

• Storm drains – (most of Downtown area)

• Pesticide application-Dame Road (PSNH utility ROW)

• Pesticide application-Bay Road (PSNH utility ROW

• Pesticide application- Ash Swamp Road (Golf Course)

Underground and Above-ground Storage Tanks

Leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) and aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) have historically been a significant nonpoint pollution source due to the corrosion of the older steel tanks.   However, because of more stringent design, testing and monitoring requirements imposed by NHDES in recent years, most of these older steel tanks have been removed and replaced by fiberglass-composite tanks that are less prone to corrosion. Aboveground tank regulations also require secondary containment, spill containment and overfill protection using level gauges and in many cases high-level audible alarms.

Table I.1 lists the location and type of the active USTs and ASTs in Newmarket according to NHDES registration list.  There are currently twelve underground petroleum storage tanks at nine different locations in Newmarket that mostly relate to gasoline-fueling stations.   Since the 1994 Master Plan update, many of the older tanks associated with many older businesses in Newmarket have been removed.  These tank removals represent a significant reduction in the threat of contamination from petroleum products since many of these former tanks were 30 to 40 years old, which is well beyond the typical design life of steel tanks. 

Table 1-1.  List of Active Underground and Above-Ground Storage Tanks Located in Newmarket

LOCATION		DATE INSTALLED	SUBSTANCE STORED	TYPE	NOTES
Elementary School		01-AUG-1987	#2 Heating Fuel	10,000 gal. Steel, Corrosion ProMtect.	Tightness Test –Feb 4, 1999
Jr./Sr. High School	30-Nov-1998		#2 Heating Fuel	10,000 gal. Steel, Corrosion Protect	One older tank removed in November 1988
Newmarket Getty	30-May-1993 30-May-1993		Gasoline Gasoline	8,000 gal fiberglass 8,000 gal fiberglass	Six older tanks removed in May- 1993
Newmarket Irving		01-Dec-1996 01-Dec-1996 01-Dec-1996	Gasoline Gasoline Diesel fuel	15,000 gal fiberglass 14,000 gal fiberglass 8,000 gal fiberglass	Five older tanks removed in Aug 1993 – Jan 1995
Riverdale Automotive		1) 01-Aug-1993	Gasoline	12,000 gal fiberglass	Five older tanks removed in July 1993
Evan’s Expressmart		12-Oct-1998 12-Oct-1998	Gasoline Gasoline	12,000 gal fiberglass 10,000 gal fiberglass
The United States Post Office		25-Oct-1988	#2 Heating Fuel	2500 gal fiberglass	Former tank removed in Oct. 1988
Above-Ground Tanks
Newmarket DPW MaintenanceYard		Late 1970’s	Diesel Fuel, Gasoline. Waste Oil	(2) 2,000 gal (2) 500 gal	Has Secondary Contmnet Vessels and High level alarms
Essex Group Inc.		Early 1990’s	#2 Heating Fuel	10,000 gal	Fully enclosed in second. chamber

Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Results

Although surface water quality is generally good in Newmarket, there are currently several areas of concern where water quality standards have been violated in the past.   NHDES maintains an ambient water quality program.  Under this program, water quality is checked at permanent sampling stations.  In Newmarket, there are two stations on the Lamprey River, one above the Macallen Dam and one at the Wastewater Treatment Facility.   In 1993 violations of copper and zinc were found at the Macallen Dam.  Copper, zinc and lead violations occurred at the Wastewater Treatment Facility in 1996 by the EPA compliance order. The Macallen Dam site also has had occasional low dissolved oxygen levels.   Two stations on Moonlight Brook have also shown high readings of these metals as well as e. coli violations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Surface Water Resources

Broaden the use of the current septic system setback requirement of 125 feet for Class A waters, to include all tributaries and surface waters associated with the Folletts Brook, Piscassic River, Lamprey River and the Great Bay.

Revise the current subdivision regulations and zoning ordinances to include requirements for proper erosion control and stormwater runoff Best Management Practices (BMPs) for all major residential subdivisions and commercial developments (e.g., disturbing > 20,000 sq. ft.).

Detain and treat stormwater onsite for any new development outside of the zoning districts of M1, M2, R4 and the downtown portions of the B1 district.  Stormwater from these developments will not be directed to the municipal sewer system.

As the mill buildings are redeveloped, the Planning Board will insure that water quality enhancement devices are included in the storm water drainage design as stated in Section 3.07 of the Town’s Site Plan Review Regulations.

Encourage open space preservation for some of the higher priority land areas identified by the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Commission along New Road and Lubberland Creek. Work with State agencies and non-profit organizations that have an interest in protecting these areas.   Preserving these large land areas along New Road as open space could have significant benefits in protecting the water quality of the Great Bay.  Preservation of open space may allow for local passive recreation areas, and help to maintain the rural character of our community. If not protected, these land areas will be subject to increasing development pressures, particularly residential development, which typically results in higher municipal service costs and a negative fiscal impact.

Upgrade the hydraulic and treatment capacity of the wastewater treatment facilities, including pumping stations, as a high priority to minimize overflows and/or treatment bypasses to the Lamprey River during storm events.

Update the Town’s mapping of sewer and storm drain piping, as necessary, to improve the ability to evaluate and schedule upgrades for older segments and eliminate illicit connections.

Careful attention will be paid to stormwater management and erosion control for all development projects.  Treat all development as part of the eventual build-out of the Town and implement water protection through erosion and sedimentation control and stormwater management.

Wetlands

Continue the efforts of the Conservation Commission to identify potential high value areas that may be designated as prime wetlands, according to established criteria.

Flood Plains                                                              

Revise current subdivision and site design regulations to clarify that post-development peak flow rates will not exceed predevelopment flow rates for the smaller runoff events (i.e., 2 year design storm) as well as the larger 25 year storm event.  As it is currently stated, it is not absolutely clear whether onsite peak flow control for the smaller runoff events is required.

Revise subdivison and site design regulations to require developers proposing any new large developments (i.e, disturbing more than 10 acres) to conduct a watershed-wide hydrologic analysis to evaluate the cumulative effect of how additional impervious areas in the watershed might affect the timing and magnitude of peak flow conditions downstream.  This analysis will include a review of the flow capacity of existing downstream drainage or conveyances structures (i.e., culverts, bridges, etc.).

Public Water Supplies

Based on the recommendations of the recent engineering study and the recent low groundwater levels in the Bennett and Sewall Wells, take immediate steps to get the water treatment plant operational and bring it online in the year 2001 to reduce the use of the wells.   This may require a full engineering and regulatory compliance review and possibly a pilot test or trial run to test the operations.

Consider re-establishing the Board of Water Commissioners or a similar Citizens Advisory Committee to assist in the role of monitoring and managing the available water supply and the increasing demand for municipal water services.  This Board or committee would work closely with the Water and Sewer Superintendent, the Town Administrator, Planning Board and Town Council to develop conservation measures and/or adopt growth control policies to guide and plan for the most effective use of the Town’s water supply resources.

For the next five years, consider a Town water demand growth policy and limit any increase in water use to no more than 10,000 gpd a year or 50 new home connections based on an average per unit use of 200 gpd.  Any unused allotment can be carried over into the next calendar year.  Similarly, it is recommended that there be no extensions or expansions of the municipal water service area until the capacity of the water treatment plant and the recovery of wells have been fully evaluated.

Develop a water conservation plan and explore ways to reduce the peak daily demand for existing users during the summer months through education and conservation practices, water conservation devices and/or other demand management measures.

Review the Durham zoning ordinances to insure consistency in terms of minimum lot size and setback requirements for the land areas within Folletts Brook watershed. Based on this review, a determination should be made as to whether the Town needs to adopt more stringent water quality protection requirements for the entire watershed under the State Watershed Rule (Env-Ws 386).  Note:  Newmarket and Durham will have the opportunity to coordinate efforts to protect the Folletts Brook Watershed within the next two years during Durham’s scheduled revision of zoning ordinance.

Obtain conservation easements through state and federal funding programs on the remaining large, undeveloped parcels in the Wellhead Protection Area around the Bennett and Sewall wells and in the watersheds of both Folletts Brook and Piscassic River to protect the integrity and quality of these drinking water sources.

As soon as possible, move existing aboveground Town fuel tanks and all Town vehicle and equipment fueling and outside washing activities to the wastewater treatment facility on Young Lane.

Explore grant opportunities under the State Source Water Protection Program to provide financial incentives for homeowners in the WHPA to convert older heating oil tanks to either propane tanks or newer tanks with spill protection provisions.

Given that the ultimate municipal water demand in Newmarket, at full-build out conditions, may exceed the total combined capacity of the treatment plant and two existing wells, protect the immediate land area around the Beaudet Farm wells by appropriating funds to conduct the necessary pump and water quality testing to determine the viability of this source as a potential municipal water supply.   The limits of a preliminary Well Head Protection Area should be established though the use of groundwater models and using the data from the pump test analysis.

Evaluate the potential effect of the State’ proposed water withdrawal restrictions (i.e., instream flow rules) may have on the use of the Piscassic River as a public water supply, if in the future the lower portions of the Lamprey River and its connection to Piscassic River become designated for added protection under the NHDES River Protection and Management Act.

References

Durfresne-Henry, Inc.  1999.  Delineation of Wellhead Protection Area: Newmarket Plains Aquifer. Town of Newmarket, New Hampshire: Final Report. December 1999.

Dufresne-Henry, Inc. 1988.  Water Supply Basis for Design. Presented to the Newmarket Board of Water Commissioners, March 1988.

Heath, Douglas, L. 1998.  EPA Groundwater Coordinator, New Hampshire.  Letter to Town Administrator.  November 17, 1998.

Moore, Richard B. 1990.  Geohydrologic and Groundwater Quality Data for Stratified-drift Aquifers in the Exeter, Lamprey, and Oyster River Basins, Southeastern New Hampshire.   U.S Geological Survey, Open-file Report 92-95.

Underwood Engineers, Inc.  2000 DRAFT 201 Facilities Plan Update Report.  Prepared for the Town of Newmarket. First Draft.  January 14, 2000.