Senate committee hears cleanup bill for NHDES wastewater authority and eliminates certain fees

Senator Denise Rishardi (R), representing District 9, introduced Senate Bill 443 as a cleanup and clarification measure for New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) wastewater programs.

Rishardi said the bill removes outdated, unused and confusing statutory language, clarifies DES authority over industrial discharges and sewer connections, and eliminates fees associated with the industrial pretreatment program to align the statute with prior legislative action. "The bill clarifies authority and nothing more," she said, adding it does not create new programs or requirements but aims to enable consistent program administration.

Zach Orch (recorded as Zachary Lorch in the hearing record), industrial pretreatment coordinator in NHDES' Wastewater Engineering Bureau, testified in support and said the changes will clarify authority, remove archaic language and make permitting predictable for municipalities and industry while protecting oversight. He said existing sewer connection processes would remain available and that municipalities often require connections when properties are within a certain distance of sewer lines.

Committee members asked whether eliminating fees would create a budget gap; NHDES responded that the fiscal effect should be negligible because fees had previously been removed for related programs and the bureau expects no budget shortfall. Senators also sought clarification about how subsurface/septic rules interact with the bill; NHDES said subsurface rules are not affected by the change and that the bill is focused on wastewater engineering bureau authority.

With limited questions remaining, the committee closed the hearing on SB 443.