Michael Fraysse

The NH DES has proven time and time again they are not going to adequately regulate landfill location selection and monitoring. The legislature therefore needs to act. Instead of imposing a setback distance for landfills, this bill focuses on the time it would take for leachate — a toxic mix of liquid from landfills — to reach nearby groundwater, lakes, aquifers, or rivers in the event of a leak, spill or failure. This is a much better solution than setting a setback distance. The landfill rules that were approved in December are not adequate in that landfills must not be located within 500 feet of any perennial surface water body and leachate must not move more than three feet per day through the surrounding soil. This is an incredibly weak standard - 100 times weaker than the standard in Maine. This new bill will require landfill sites to ensure leachate moves no more than 10 feet per year through the soil in case of a leak, offering far better protection against potential contamination, and it should be supported.