To: Executive Councilors, Legislators and Local Officials

From: Thomas S. Burack, Commissioner

Subject: Decision-Makers Survey for State Water Plan Process

Date: October 6, 2008

I am writing to urge you to participate in an important survey regarding water resources in New Hampshire. This survey is being conducted by the UNH Survey Center in partnership with Weston and Sampson Engineers, for the SB 162 Water Resources Committee and the N.H. Department of Environmental Services (DES). The survey will be invaluable to the Water Resources Committee and the Legislature in general as they develop a Water Resources Plan for the State of New Hampshire and shape the state's water resources policies for years to come.

This survey represents a rare opportunity for you to focus the Legislature's efforts - and to help define the relative roles of the State and municipalities - with respect to such issues as water supply, groundwater quantity and quality, in-stream flow, surface water quality, flood and drought management, and shoreland development.

The implications of water resources management for the state's economy and quality of life are far-reaching, particularly in the face of continued growth and development and the consequences of climate change. It is of the utmost importance that the State of New Hampshire and its municipal subdivisions respond to this challenge with the necessary information at hand and in a spirit of collaboration. To prepare for this undertaking, the Water Resources Committee and DES are preparing a Water Resources Primer, to be released later this year, along with the results of this survey. The Primer and the survey represent the first steps in a process that will lead to a State Water Resources Plan, a process that will take several years. We urge you to participate fully in the early stages of the Water Plan process, both by attending the public information sessions that will focus on the Primer, and by completing and returning the enclosed questionnaire.

If you have any questions about this survey or the Water Plan process, please contact Sarah Pillsbury or Paul Susca at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services at 271-2513.

We look forward to working with you in crafting water resources policies that will ensure that New Hampshire remains a great place to live, work, play and do business.