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Bill would create modest grants to support volunteer local river management advisory committees, DES says it can administer
Summary
Rep. Eric Turr proposed a $40,000 biennial program (with up to $10,000 per award) to help local river management advisory committees (LACs) with plan updates, monitoring, outreach and minimal admin costs. DES offered an administrative amendment and said it can distribute the funds without elaborate rulemaking.
CONCORD — Representative Eric Turr introduced House Bill 624 to establish a small grant program to help local river management advisory committees (LACs) fulfill statutory duties under the Rivers Management and Protection Program.
Turr told the Resources committee that LACs — volunteer groups overseeing designated rivers — perform water monitoring, community outreach, corridor‑management plan development and review of proposed projects that might affect river corridors, but many lack modest operating funds to hire technical consultants, pay meeting space fees or maintain websites.
The bill would create a Department of Environmental Services‑administered grant program with a $40,000 annual appropriation and a cap of $10,000 per award. Turr said the cap was chosen to keep awards below the governor‑and‑council threshold and that most committees would request far less than the maximum.
Tracy Sales, Rivers and Lakes Program administrator at DES, told the committee DES takes no position on the bill but provided an administrative‑style amendment to ease distribution for a small program. She listed typical eligible activities — meeting notices and minutes, outreach and educational materials, corridor plan updates and GIS work, monitoring supplies and contractor support — and said DES is happy to work with the committee on the simplest effective distribution method.
Local advocates including Michelle Tremblay of the New Hampshire Rivers Council and the statewide Rivers Management Advisory Committee testified in support, saying LACs produce volunteer hours and technical value and that a modest appropriation would leverage outsized volunteer contributions.
Why it matters: LACs are statutory, volunteer bodies that serve as an early warning and local outreach capacity for rivers. Funding would help smaller LACs complete plans and monitoring that they currently do on shoestring budgets.
Next steps: DES offered an administrative amendment on rulemaking language; committee members asked questions about distribution mechanics and the use of matching funds.
