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Atkinson water committee moves to study groundwater, broaden public outreach under Master Plan
Summary
At its March 24 meeting the Atkinson Water Resources Committee reviewed Master Plan Goal 3 and agreed to pursue a consultant-led groundwater evaluation with NHDES, expand private-well testing outreach, and stage community education events in 2026.
Atkinson Water Resources Committee members on March 24 reviewed action items under Goal 3 of the town Master Plan and agreed to pursue a consultant-led evaluation of the town’s groundwater resources to inform long-term water needs and land-use policy. Committee chair Jake Mc Manus asked all members to attend the Planning Board’s April 1 meeting to address the goals identified in the Master Plan.
Goal 3.1 as discussed calls for working with a consultant and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) to complete a comprehensive evaluation of existing groundwater resources, study the town’s long-term water needs, and project future availability. Committee members said that information should be used to identify issues and opportunities related to water supply, inform land-use regulations, and help determine allowable development density.
The committee reiterated support for encouraging private residential well testing (Goal 3.2). The group reported that AWRC has updated the town website with public and private well resources to help property owners locate testing information and guidance. Members said the committee will promote testing and consider events where water-resource professionals can present to residents.
Other Master Plan items discussed included partnerships with neighboring towns and the Hampstead Area Water Company (HAWC) on regional water issues (Goal 3.3), collaboration with the Conservation Commission (Goal 3.4), and continued participation in the Merrimack River Watershed Council (Goal 3.5). The committee also reviewed stormwater-management responsibilities and the town’s MS4 permit obligations (Goal 3.6), the need for a multi-year drainage maintenance and budgeting plan (Goal 3.7), and the requirement that fire pond inspections follow National Fire Protection Association guidelines (Goal 3.8).
On public education (Goal 3.9) AWRC plans to use the town website and social media, hold community events in the second and third quarters of 2026 featuring invited professionals, and provide drought-management guidance by Q4 2026. The committee asked NHDES for updated information to support creation of a local inventory and permitting process for new, existing, and abandoned wells (Goal 3.11). Goal 3.12 tasks the committee with studying water-access rights as a high priority.
The committee set routine meeting dates for the coming months and assigned Michelle Veasey to circulate calendar invites. The committee did not take a formal vote on hiring a consultant at the meeting; it identified next steps and information needs for that decision.
