Summary of New Hampshire's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Landscaping
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in New Hampshire
- Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for landscaping specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In New Hampshire, water reuse for water reuse for landscapingThe use of recycled water on land to assist in the irrigation of vegetation in residential and non-residential areas. Includes impoundments to store water for irrigation , ornamental vegetation, parks, school yards, sporting facilities (including golf courses), private gardens, roadsides and greenbelts, and cemeteries. Excludes irrigation of areas used for agriculture, commercial reuse applications, or any centralized non-potable reuse. includes discharges to the land surface via spray irrigation of turf at golf courses and other landscaping applications, including ornamental landscaping. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as reclaimed wastewater. This write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) provides guidance for the land treatment or disposal of reclaimed water from wastewater treatment plants for spray irrigation of turf at golf courses and other landscaping applications (including ornamental landscaping) (NHDES, 2020). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met. New Hampshire provides best management practices that can be employed at golf courses to minimize human exposure (NHDES, 2020). Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators for water reuse for landscaping and are summarized in the table. NHDES (2020) states that “effluent sprayed onto golf courses must meet ambient groundwater quality standards” set forth in NH Code Admin. R. Env-Or 603.03. New Hampshire’s ambient groundwater quality standards include requirements for both chemical and microbial contaminants. NH Code Admin. R. Env-Or 603.03 requires that positives for total coliform shall be confirmed by the presence of other wastewater parameters, such as fecal coliform, E. coli, fecal streptococcus, nitrates and chlorides.
Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in New Hampshire
NHDES (2020) defines the following approved water reuse for landscaping:
- Discharges to the land surface via spray irrigation of turf at golf courses
- Other landscaping applications, including ornamental landscaping
Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
New Hampshire does not provide specific water reuse categories or classes but does provide treatment specifications for each specific use. The respective treatment requirements are briefly summarized for water reuse for landscaping.
- For irrigation of golf courses or other landscaping applications (e.g., ornamental landscaping around buildings), effluent must receive secondary treatment with settling or filtration and with disinfection (NHDES, 2020). Disinfected wastewater means that the pathogenic organisms have been destroyed by chemical, physical or biological means. Generally, the criterion for adequate disinfection with chlorine requires 1 part per million (mg/L) free chlorine residual after 30 minutes contact time.
NHDES (2020) notes that wastewater reused for irrigation at golf courses must meet more stringent reclaimed water quality standards and more frequent water quality sampling and analysis of wastewater effluent will be required because of the potential of human contact with the disposal areas. For permits to reflect the allowance of a different nutrient limit for reclaimed water, golf course fertilization practices must include a reduction in artificially applied fertilizer (i.e., a weight-for-weight reduction) (NHDES, 2020).
Additional context and definitions
In New Hampshire, a groundwater discharge permit issued by NHDES is the primary mechanism regulating wastewater reclamation activities (NHDES, 2020). The groundwater discharge permitting process requires site hydrogeological work, proposals for an appropriate groundwater monitoring well network, a water quality monitoring program and sampling plan and other activities specified in NHDES (2020).
Spray irrigation at golf courses achieves treatment and disposal by applying treated wastewater as spray irrigation to turf where the wastewater is evaporated, transpired or recharged into aquifers (NHDES 2020). NHDES recommends spray irrigating during non-use hours utilizing low trajectory sprayers to minimize human exposure (NHDES, 2020). Public awareness signs that indicate the use of reclaimed water, installation and maintenance of appropriate cross-connection/backflow preventing devices and the use of proper color coding of potable versus non-potable piping and fixtures should also be displayed at golf courses (NHDES, 2020).
Water reuse for landscaping specifications
Summary of New Hampshire's Water Reuse for Landscaping Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)*a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Golf course application, ornamental landscaping and other landscaping applications |
Reclaimed wastewater |
5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) |
≤10 mg/L |
Not specified |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤10 mg/L |
|||
|
Nitrate (NO3) |
Site-specific |
|||
|
Fecal coliform |
Not detected (7-day median) 14 CFU/100 (1-day maximum) |
|||
|
Turbidity |
5 NTU (or meet TSS limit of 10 mg/L) |
|||
|
Nitrogenb |
Not specified |
|||
|
Phosphorusb |
Not specified |
Source= NHDES (2020)
* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the State-specific regulations.
a An individual groundwater discharge permit is issued for each proposed reclaimed wastewater reuse site that establishes the sampling location, water quality parameter list, monitoring well locations and sampling schedule and discharge schedule located within the application area (NHDES, 2020).
b Parameter is site specific. In many instances, the purpose of landscape-focused reuse projects is to reclaim nitrogen and phosphorous in the wastewater for nutrient needs of the irrigated area.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for landscaping were found for New Hampshire.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). 2020. Land Treatment and Disposal of Reclaimed Wastewater: Guidance for Groundwater Discharge Permitting.
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