New Hampshire
Advocates challenge permit for Manchester’s wastewater system, citing PFAS concerns
An advocacy group is challenging a permit for Manchester’s wastewater treatment system that state regulators approved in May, saying the system could be releasing levels of PFAS chemicals into the Merrimack River that go against state standards.
In an appeal filed by the Conservation Law Foundation, lawyers say New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services did not consider whether the wastewater facility’s permit complied with a state standard meant to protect fish, and the people who eat them, from toxic chemicals.
While the federal Environmental Protection Agency was considering the permit, the Foundation asked them to include stronger limitations on PFAS chemicals entering the plant from industrial sources and on the chemicals coming out of the plant.
In the permit issued by the EPA and approved by New Hampshire officials, the plant is required to test for PFAS and report the levels of those chemicals coming in and going out in the effluent they discharge into the Merrimack River. It also requires testing of the levels in sludge — the solids that are separated out from wastewater and, at the Manchester plant, burned in an incinerator.
“The purpose of this monitoring and reporting requirement is to better understand potential discharges of PFAS from this facility and to inform future permitting decisions, including the potential development of water quality-based effluent limits on a facility specific basis,” federal regulators said in a fact sheet about the permit.
There’s no current requirement to limit PFAS that comes out of the facility. Jillian Aicher, a fellow at the Conservation Law Foundation, said that’s a problem.
“People in Manchester and in surrounding communities deserve clean water,” she said. “Clean, fishable and swimmable water is what the Clean Water Act and New Hampshire state standards call for.”
In their appeal, the Conservation Law Foundation says when state officials approved that permit, they considered the state’s numerical PFAS standards but ignored a “narrative” standard that says surface waters, like the Merrimack River, must be free from toxic substances that injure animals, fish and humans or accumulate in edible aquatic life.
Aicher says she’d also like to see the City of Manchester regulate industrial sources that contribute to the accumulation of PFAS chemicals in the wastewater treatment system.
The Manchester wastewater treatment plant, like others across the state, collects the PFAS chemicals that are widely present in the environment. They don’t add PFAS to the wastewater, but they process it in a way that changes the chemicals that are already there. That means wastewater exiting the facility can test higher for PFAS than the wastewater entering the facility.
Manchester’s plant receives hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater per day from industries that have historically been connected with PFAS contamination, including manufacturers, cleaning companies, and hospitals. It also processes landfill leachate, which has in some cases been found to have high levels of PFAS.
New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Christopher Aslin said the New Hampshire Department of Justice was reviewing the appeal and would represent the state’s Department of Environmental Services in the case.
The City of Manchester did not respond to requests for comment.
Have you heard of Holly Jolly Journey in Litchfield, New Hampshire?
It’s touted as “New England’s largest and most spectacular holiday light show,” and it’s just one more incredible event you should check out this Christmas season.
According to its website, Holly Jolly Journey has added a million lights for this recent season, meaning there are now over 3 million dazzling lights you can take in while walking through.
What Is Holly Jolly Journey in Litchfield, New Hampshire?
Located at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield, Holly Jolly Journey is a walk-through Christmas light event that spans over 2/3 of a mile and features some incredible displays all along the way.
Some of the spectacular things you can see include Santa’s Workshop, Candy Cane Lane, Twinkly Tunnel and Teddy’s Christmas Corner, among others.
The walk is truly mesmerizingly festive.
The Holly Jolly Journey website also notes some new stuff for the 2025/26 season, including additions to almost every scene along the walk, more trees lit, more food and drink stations, a new 28-foot centerpiece, and a new indoor party suite.
When is the Holly Jolly Journey in Litchfield, New Hampshire?
According to its website, the Holly Jolly Journey takes place from the day after Thanksgiving through January 11. It is closed on Christmas Eve.
There are multiple time slots to choose from, starting at 4:30 p.m. and with the last time slot of the day being at 10 p.m. (for those late-night holiday owls).
It should take about an hour to complete, but you can take as long as you’d like.
READ MORE: New Hampshire’s Dazzling 2-Mile Holiday Drive-Thru With 3 Million Lights Returns for 2025
Have you decided which holiday experience you should do this season? You certainly don’t have to limit yourself to one, and Holly Jolly Journey is one you might want to consider. With over 3 million lights and incredible displays on a festive walk perfect for the family, you’ll be soaking up the sparkle of Christmas in the best way possible.
You’ll also have so many Instagram-worthy pics with that glowing backdrop!
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DOVER, New Hampshire (WGME) — A New Hampshire woman is facing charges after reportedly speeding more than 100 miles per hour during a police chase.
New Hampshire State Police say it happened Saturday night on Route 16 in Dover.
Troopers say they tried to pull over the driver, Stephanie Dupont, but she took off at high speed.
Troopers say they followed her to Exit 3, where she veered off the road.
After the crash, they say she jumped out of the car and tried to flee on foot.
An off-duty officer from Ogunquit happened to be near by and was able to stop her.
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Officials say Dupont suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
A superior court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of visually impaired New Hampshire voters who argued a newly passed absentee voter law violates the state constitution.
In a lawsuit filed this summer, the plaintiffs alleged the measure, which was backed by state Republicans, places a disproportionate burden on people with disabilities by making it harder to vote.
On Friday, New Hampshire Superior Court Judge David Ruoff dismissed the case, ruling that the new policies are reasonable.
The new law requires people requesting an absentee ballot to prove their identity in one of three ways: either mail in a photocopy of an ID, along with their ballot application; have their ballot application notarized; or show an ID at town hall prior to an election.
In his opinion, Ruoff said, “The identification requirements impose ordinary burdens on all absentee voters, and the possibility that it may cause additional burden on a subset of absentee voters does not render the entire statute unconstitutional.”
It isn’t clear if the plaintiffs will appeal the ruling to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
“We appreciate the Court’s recognition that the identification requirements for absentee voters are reasonable, constitutional, and consistent with New Hampshire’s long-standing election practices,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, who defended the law in court.
New Hampshire residents who vote in person are already required to show an ID at the polls when requesting a ballot. Supporters of the new law say the same safeguards should be in place for those voters who request an absentee ballot.
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