Senate hears HB 707 proposing site‑specific setback and a five‑year time‑of‑travel standard for new landfills

Representative Kelly Potenza introduced HB 707 to require site‑specific setback rules for new municipal solid‑waste landfills and to change several technical criteria used in DES permitting.

"This bill is really tackling about 7 to 8 different pieces of the 800 rules," said Representative Kelly Potenza (Strafford District 19), describing the measure as an effort to update siting standards, incorporate time‑of‑travel science and strengthen protection for drinking water sources and surface waters. Potenza cited a JLCAR objection to the DES rules and said HB 707 fills gaps by placing specific siting metrics into statute.

The bill proposes multiple changes, including: a five‑year time‑of‑travel calculation for contaminants (or a minimum horizontal setback of 1,500 feet, whichever is greater); a hydraulic conductivity threshold for the upper 20 feet of native soil (Proponents sought 1×10^-4 cm/sec); a prohibition on imported soils as a workaround; a requirement for a guard or on‑site monitoring presence; a 100‑year storm standard with a 50% safety margin for stormwater design; and a 20‑foot minimum vertical buffer between the bottom of…