Concord, NH – At the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Source Water Protection Conference, held June 12, Commissioner Bob Scott presented awards to the Town of Salem and the South Main Street Water District in Warren, New Hampshire for outstanding work to protect the quality and sustainability of sources of drinking water in New Hampshire.

The Commissioner presented NHDES’s Source Water Protection Award to Salem, New Hampshire for the town’s effort to address cyanobacteria in Arlington Mill Reservoir, a primary source of drinking water for the town, as well as work to reduce non-point source pollution. In 2024 Salem’s Water Department worked with NHDES to develop a strong cyanobacteria water quality monitoring program. The monitoring is now conducted under a defined monitoring plan that outlines steps to quickly detect and respond to harmful algal blooms that may affect water treatment operations and drinking water quality. Salem also took the extra step to dedicate and train staff to recognize bloom forming conditions through microscopic analysis of water samples taken near the treatment plant’s intake.

More broadly, over the last five years Salem has implemented federal Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) stormwater permit requirements and secured funding from NHDES to identify and limit discharges of non-point source pollutants, such as phosphorus, into the town’s lakes, ponds and rivers.

Source Water Sustainability Awarded to South Main Street Water District (Warren, NH)

Commissioner Scott also presented NHDES’s Source Sustainability Award that recognizes actions to preserve the long-term sustainability of source water, including water conservation, improved efficiency of use, and reductions in water leaks.

The South Main Street Water District in Warren, New Hampshire received the 2025 Source Sustainability Award for the impactful work to institute leak detection measures and water system investments that reduced system leakage and increased the water system’s capacity to produce safe drinking water for its 200 customers.

Since 2020, Warren has experienced multiple emergency “no water” events, in part due to failures in old water system pipes. To combat excessive water loss, the District undertook extensive leak detection efforts and made significant repairs to fix leaks that were on the order of 30,000 to 50,000 gallon-per-day. The District also received an emergency grant from the New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund to install a new drilled well deeper in the formation that is more resistant to drought. These important actions will preserve the long-term sustainability of the public water system and help ensure the system will continue to meet the needs of its customers.