Demand Clean, Safe Water from Village District of Eastman

Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau Officials,

I am writing to formally submit this complaint and request intervention from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau (DWGB), regarding long-standing drinking water quality, infrastructure, and management concerns affecting the Eastman Community Association (ECA), located primarily in the Town of Grantham, New Hampshire.

For well over a decade, residents of the Eastman Community Association have experienced persistent deterioration in drinking water quality and system reliability while relying on the Village District of Eastman (VDE), a public municipal overlay managing the water for over 1,300 households in the larger Eastman Community. Despite assurances, the VDE has been unable to execute a clear, credible, and transparent short or long term plan to resolve these issues.

For many years, residents have encountered delayed responses, limited communication, and dismissive treatment when raising concerns with the Village District of Eastman. This pattern has resulted in a significant erosion of public trust and growing concern that the full extent of system deficiencies is not being adequately disclosed to residents.  There is also a need for a review and strategy for maintenance, replacement parts, and dealing with critical equipment failures.  The system, especially the treatment system, are all manully controlled and operate on a break-fix approach. 

Residents have documented and reported poor water quality conditions, including visible rust, iron, manganese, and other particulate matter present in water. We will present photographs and water test results to substantiate these conditions. Such observations raise concerns regarding compliance with Env-Dw 300 (Water Quality Standards), including secondary maximum contaminant levels and requirements that drinking water be aesthetically acceptable and not indicative of underlying system integrity failures. In addition to drinking water impacts, residents report damage to home water filtration systems, appliances, and household items, which they reasonably believe may be associated with ongoing water quality conditions.

In response to these ongoing conditions, residents have been instructed by the VDE to install costly whole-house filtration systems at personal expense and to routinely flush household water lines. These directives have resulted in the waste of substantial volumes of treated water, for which residents are subsequently billed on a quarterly basis without service credits or rate relief. These practices raise concerns under Env-Dw 700 (Design Standards and Construction Requirements) and Env-Dw 500 (Operation and Maintenance), particularly as they relate to system leakage, unaccounted-for water loss, corrosion control, and effective system management.

The VDE has attributed the ongoing issues to the original construction of the water system in approximately 1971, historical contractor deficiencies, aging and deteriorating pipes, chronic leaks, discolored water, and significant unaccounted-for water loss. While residents have remained patient and cooperative for many years, the absence of measurable progress or transparent communication has left the community increasingly frustrated and exhausted.   

At present, the Village District of Eastman has contracted with external construction and water management firms in various capacities. However, residents have not been provided with sufficient clarity regarding the scope of work, regulatory oversight, compliance findings, or anticipated outcomes. This lack of transparency raises concerns regarding compliance with Env-Dw 503 and Env-Dw 504, which require public water systems to maintain adequate operation, maintenance, monitoring, and reporting practices.

In prior years, several residents within the Eastman Community Association have sought legal and environmental agency guidance. Residents have encountered difficulty identifying effective oversight or accountability mechanisms, further underscoring the need for state-level review and intervention. As New Hampshire taxpayers and ratepayers, residents respectfully seek appropriate government oversight to ensure accountability, prevent waste, and protect public health.

The Eastman Community Association considers this issue to be the most significant and unresolved threat to the long-term sustainability and livability of the community. It is the collective view of many residents that the Village District of Eastman may not currently possess the resources, funding, experience, or managerial capacity required to independently resolve these systemic issues.  

As public water systems in New Hampshire are regulated by NHDES DWGB pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act and Env-Dw 100–800, we respectfully request that the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau:

1. Conduct a formal audit or independent technical and managerial review of the Village District of Eastman pursuant to Env-Dw 508 (Sanitary Surveys and Inspections);
2. Evaluate compliance with applicable water quality, operational, and infrastructure requirements under Env-Dw 300, Env-Dw 500, and Env-Dw 700;
3. Assess the Village District of Eastman's managerial, technical, and financial capacity as contemplated under Env-Dw 503; and
4. Provide appropriate guidance, corrective action requirements, or enforcement measures to ensure the delivery of clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to ECA residents.

The residents of the Eastman Community Association urgently request the assistance of NHDES in restoring accountability, transparency, and public confidence in the safety & health of our drinking water. Upon request we are prepared to provide additional documentation, photo evidence, testimony, or resident statements.

This submission is intended to request regulatory review and oversight and does not purport to make legal or technical determinations regarding compliance, which residents respectfully defer to NHDES's expertise and authority.

Thank you for your time, attention, and commitment to protecting public health and drinking water quality in the State of New Hampshire.

Eastman Community Association