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.
A Massachusetts man was flown to the hospital after he was struck by a car when he stepped out of his vehicle in the breakdown lane of Interstate 93 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on Saturday morning.
State police say 40-year-old Felix Matos Medina, of Lawrence, had stopped on the right side of I-93 south at Exit 5 just before 11 a.m. to investigate a possible mechanical issue. He was struck shortly after he stepped out of his vehicle by a Chevrolet Malibu and sustained serious injuries.
Medina was taken by medical helicopter to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., police said. There was no immediate update on his condition.
I-93 southbound was closed near Exit 5 for about 30 minutes to facilitate the medical helicopter’s landing. One lane remained closed for several hours to accommodate crash reconstruction and on-scene investigation.
The driver who struck Medina, identified as David Jodoin, stopped at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, according to police. No charges have been filed at this time, but all aspects of the crash remain under investigation at this time.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Evan Puopolo at 603-451-9784.
State police are also reminding all New Hampshire drivers that Sherrill’s Law requires motorists approaching a stopped vehicle displaying warning signals to slow down and give plenty of space. Drivers are also required to move out of partially or wholly blocked lanes when it’s safe to do so.
New Hampshire
Downtown Shooting | How Much Income Makes Someone ‘Rich’ | Sex Sale Gone Bad On Facebook? Nearby News NH
CONCORD, NH — Here are the Top 10 most popular stories and posts from around New Hampshire Patch sites last week.
- Concord Police Investigating The Death Of A Young Child In The City’s South End Neighborhood: Update: Dakin Street was closed to traffic for several hours during an investigation of a child found dead at a duplex on Friday morning.
- Facebook Marketplace Cleaning Services Hire Or Sex Sale Gone Bad Leads To Stabbing In Manchester: Court docs: Frank Miller of Manchester and Kendra Gokey, a homeless woman, were arrested on first-degree assault and other charges Sunday.
- Man Shot During Dispute On South State Street In Downtown Concord: Video: Breaking: A man was shot in the leg Saturday during a dispute; cops have South State Street from Thompson to Concord closed to traffic.
- Fast Food Chain Closing Locations | Queen City Killing | Meth Distributor Pleads Guilty | More: Nearby News: Also: Best sandwich shop in NH; untimely death; crashes; knife attack indictments; firefighter injured in explosion released from hospital.
- After The Snow Sunday And Monday, More Is Coming To New Hampshire, Forecasters Say: After the storm that is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to the state, more snowstorm fronts are expected to arrive this week.
- 6 To 15 Inches Of Snow Heading To The Granite State Sunday Night; Wind Gusts Up To 45 mph: Forecasters: Heavy, blinding snow is expected in central and southern New Hampshire, as well as the Seacoast, from Sunday night to Monday morning.
- National Fast Food Chain To Close Hundreds Of Restaurants; New Hampshire Locations May Be Impacted: The chain that closed hundreds of locations in 2024 expects to shutter approximately 360 nationwide during the first half of 2026.
- Police Arrest Man On Felony Charges After South State Street Shooting In Downtown Concord: Follow-Up: David Anziani faces first-degree and second-degree assault, reckless conduct, and felonious firearm charges after a shooting on Saturday.
- Hollis Teen Faces Assault Charge, Accused Of An ‘Unprovoked’ Attack In Downtown Nashua In November: Connor Cook was arrested in late December after being accused of punching another man in the face on Main Street and then fleeing the scene.
- How Much Income Is Needed To Be Considered ‘Rich’ In New Hampshire?: A new analysis details the annual household income required to be considered among the top 10 percent of earners in the Granite State.
Here are some other posts readers may have missed:
Child Death Investigation | Queen City Tax Cap Fight | Fun Things To Do This Weekend | More: PM Patch NH
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