Specifications include, but are not limited to: The NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau (DWGB) is requesting statements of qualifications from engineering consultants to complete a comprehensive, high-level assessment of existing and potential water system interconnections for communities in the Seacoast region of NH. This study is intended to inform investments in the region’s Public Water Systems (PWSs) to efficiently allocate the region’s source water and prioritize infrastructure improvement projects (supply, raw water transmission, treatment, pumping, distribution, storage) in the near-term that will be consistent with the region’s long-term needs, water system emergency backup supplies and mutual aid agreements. The selected consultant will be responsible for: 1) Assessing the current and projected average and maximum day demand and water supply capacity for existing water systems and communities in the Seacoast Region of the state utilizing an approach similar to a recent water supply study for southern New Hampshire. 2) Exploring the needs and opportunities for emergency mutual aid and interconnection and associated mutual aid agreement(s) for emergency purposes. 3) Identifying opportunities to consolidate very small public water systems with larger systems in order to address regulatory requirements, improve costs, or address technical or managerial capacity issues for the very small water systems. 4) At the request of participating large community water systems, exploring opportunities for the regional cooperation in the management of water systems under non-emergency conditions. 5) The study shall address the feasibility, benefits, and limitations of interconnecting, whether supplies are adequate and what steps need to be taken to establish the connection(s). The proposed study will update and expand the “Seacoast NH Emergency Interconnection Study, Examining Mutual Aid Between Ten Water Utilities” published in January 2006 by Woodard & Curran for NHDES. Up to 8 large and 52 small communities and/or PWSs will be incorporated into the updated study.
