485-A:59 Duties. –
I. The department of environmental services shall:
(a) Administer the cyanobacteria mitigation loan and grant program to assist municipalities; community and non-profit, lake and river watershed association; with the cost of reducing the number of chronic and extended cyanobacteria bloom that the department considers to be a threat to long term health of water bodies. For purposes of this subparagraph, administration includes oversight of the grant or loan expenditures to ensure they are not misused.
(b) Administer a loan forgiveness program to assist municipalities, community, and non-profit, lake and river watershed association with loan repayment.
(c) Award loan or grant funds to projects that meet the following criteria:
(1) The project is or was necessary to reduce phosphorus loading identified in an accepted watershed management plan and the applicant for funding is a municipality, a community water system, or a non-profit, lake or river watershed association.
(2) The applicant has demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the department, that low or no-cost solutions are neither viable nor effective.
(d) Award reimbursements to projects from the fund in a manner consistent with this chapter.
II. Every year beginning December 1, 2024, the department of environmental services shall prepare and file a report with the general court evaluating the progress made relative to mitigating cyanobacteria blooms, the efficiency of the program established under this chapter, and whether it continues to provide the maximum benefit to New Hampshire citizens, and providing any recommendations on potential additional tasks for which the fund could be used to address cyanobacteria blooms.