Should I apply as a Special Project Yes

Should I apply as a Special Project? Yes , if you meet at least 1 of these 4 circumstances: 1. Is there drinking water contamination? 2. Is the project time critical? 3. Is there financial hardship? 4. Does the project support economic growth? *If not, then you should apply in the annual round.

Special Projects must demonstrate at least 1 of the following circumstances: (1) DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION. The Commission considers addressing contamination above all else when evaluating a project. (2) TIME CRITICALITY. The time critical aspect makes it impractical for the project to be considered in the annual application review. This may include, but is not limited to: I. Immediate threat to public health. Ii. Delays that would significantly impact project cost. Iii. Project is tied to another project’s schedule where completion is critical for efficiency or cost savings. (3) FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. An applicant may tailor its request to account for financial hardship. For instance, an applicant may be able to demonstrate through its median household income (MHI) and affordability index that it cannot afford to incur additional debt. (4) ECONOMIC GROWTH. Special consideration will be given to projects that create or expand drinking water systems which in turn improves and expands the economic well-being of a community or communities.

Next, What’s Your Funding Equation…? The Special Projects Assistance Program does not have requirements for minimum outside funding or maximum DWGTF grant allowed. However, in accordance with the construction rules, the Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission will endeavor to leverage the DWGTF to the greatest extent possible by taking into consideration financial contributions to the project including: q Supplemental funds provided by the applicant (Bonding, Capital Reserve funds, or other loan programs) q State or Federal funding sources such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), US Depart. of Agriculture Rural Development Program, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), etc. q Private third party contribution(s) q Any other non-DWGTF funding contribution(s)

How do I know what to ask for? The Award Plan is a great place to find guidance: 2020 DWGTF Award Plan (adopted 5 -11 -20) Ø It explains the short-term and long-term goals of the Trust Fund and presents how the Commission plans to fund projects for the current year. Ø It provides the details of Special Projects Assistance Program in Section 5. A. 2. Ø It outlines the target award spending for the year. Ø It includes the flow chart you see to the right. (You should be aware of all of this information when putting a successful application together. ) TIP: Putting all the required application pieces together takes time, usually months. Do not submit an application until you feel it is ready for review. Rushed applications often are missing criterial information. We strongly recommend speaking with the DES project manager for your system and the Trust Fund Administrator if you are considering submitting an application to the Special Projects Assistance Program.

Submitting a Special Project Assistance Program application package will require these 4 elements: 1. TF Funding Application (adopted 5 -11 -2020) This the required 5 page application form full of important project details. 2. TF Special Project Funding Application Supplement (adopted 5 -11 -2020) This is a 2 page form for Special Project Applications only. 3. TF Authority to Submit an Application (adopted 5 -11 -2020) This is a required 1 page form that will need attachments. 4. TF Planning Document Form (adopted 5 -11 -2020) This an instruction sheet, it explains what your required planning document should look like. TIP: Review the forms IN FULL. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Trust Fund staff at NHDES prior to submitting your application.

APPLICATION PACKAGE Funding Application Form DETAILS • SECTION 1. APPLICANT INFORMATION (Form 1) • SECTION 2. THRESHOLD REQUIREMENTS - In accordance with 2020 Award Plan, the Commission requires that the funding applications include two submittals to meet the threshold for project readiness. These forms are available on the trust fund website at https: //www 4. Des. State. Nh. Us/nh-dwg-trust/ attach these submittals to this application. Applications submitted without these attachments will be considered ineligible and will not be reviewed. • SECTION 3. PROJECT INFORMATION • SECTION 4. PROJECT COST/BUDGET - Do not include preliminary design engineering and testing costs prior to submittal of the funding application as a component of total project cost. • SECTION 5. FUNDING REQUEST - Per the commission’s rules, the Commission will endeavor to leverage the DWGTF to the greatest extent possible by taking into consideration, among other things, supplemental funds provided by the applicant. Project proposals that provide the greatest amount of funds from sources other than DWGTF grants or loans whenever possible may be given priority. • SECTION 6. GRANT REQUEST INFORMATION - Per the Commission’s rules, projects that first request DWGTF loans whenever possible may be given priority over similar projects that request DWGTF grants. Projects that request a smaller proportion of DWGTF grant as compared to DWGTF loans whenever possible may be given priority. • SECTION 7. OUTSIDE FUNDING SOURCES • SECTION 8. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

APPLICATION PACKAGE DETAILS (cont. ) Funding Application Form 1 S BOTH the Funding Application Form (Form 1) for the Annual Drinking Water Construction Projects Assistance Program AND the Supplemental Form (Form 1 S) are required to be considered for the Special Projects Assistance Program. Otherwise, it is considered an annual round application. Funding Application Form 2 will be considered ineligible and will not be reviewed. Applications submitted without this attachment 1. ☐ This Certificate shall be completed and signed by a member of the governing body (i. e. , Commission, Board) other than the person being authorized; 2. ☐ The authorization to execute any documents necessary to complete the funding application is restricted to a memb governing body or employee of the water system Owner; and 3. ☐ Meeting minutes shall accompany this certificate (if applicable). Funding Applications submitted without this Form 3 attachment will be considered ineligible and will not be reviewed. Form 3 is a separate document (Word or PDF format) and will need to be drafted with descriptions of these 6 required elements: Existing Conditions, Project Need, Alternative Evaluation, Recommended Alternative, Basis of Design, and Opinion of Project Cost.

The Following Slides Present Four Special Assistance Program Projects That Were Awarded Funding

PENNICHUCK WATER WORKS, Merrimack River Intake INC. Improvements Special Project Circumstance(s): (1) Drinking Water Contamination Due to regional groundwater contamination affecting private wells now being serviced by Pennichuck Water Works, there has been an increase in water supply demand. Replacing Pennichuck’s current “in bank” intake on the Merrimack River, a new in-river raw water intake screen has been constructed at their existing intake station supplying Pennichuck Water Works’ (PWW) treatment plant and holding ponds in Merrimack. 100% TF Loan TF Grant SRF This raw water intake project provides the ability to withdraw up to permitted withdrawal limits on a year round basis replacing the current seasonal usage intake operation. Other Funding It boosts supply capacity and system security for the Pennichuck distribution system and provides a more consistent source of water for the treatment facility in Nashua.

MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT Wells 2, 3, 7 & 8 PFAS Water Treatment Special Project Circumstance(s): (1) Drinking Water Contamination [PERCENT AGE] Other Funding The Merrimack Village District Water System serves water to approximately 25, 000 people. [PERCENT AGE] TF Loan [PERCENTAGE] SRF [PERCENT AGE] TF Grant TF Loan TF Grant SRF Other Funding Improvements are being made to MVD Wells #2, #3, #7, & #8 to reduce levels of PFAS to below detection. For Wells #2 and #3, the project includes a raw water transmission main and a centralized treatment plant to treat for PFAS, iron, and manganese. Iron and manganese removal is required at Well #3 prior to PFAS treatment and is part of this project. Iron and manganese treatment at Well #3 was on the District's CIP. For Wells #7 and #8, the project includes an expansion of the existing iron and manganese treatment plant to treat for PFAS.

SANBORNVILLE WATER PRECINCT Rines Road Water Main Loop Special Project Circumstance(s): (2) Time Criticality 37% TF Grant 60% Community Development Block Grant TF Loan TF Grant SRF Other Funding This water system has experienced a significantly large number of line breaks in the last year with a major break in March 2019 during a holiday weekend that caused the water storage tank to drain. This resulted in loss of water to the businesses, schools, and fire suppression in the center of town, and a boil order was issued to the residents who had flowing water. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services considers this a major public health risk. An asset management program has recently been initiated by 3% SRF Horizons Engineering to address system wide upgrades. However, a fix is needed immediately to reduce the immediate public health risk while at the same time being a part of the long-term solution. This project creates a loop, which improves the resiliency of the distribution system. Now if a water main break occurs, it can be isolated, and customers can continue

LEE OAK COOPERATIVE, INC. Water System Improvements Special Project Circumstance(s): [PERCENTAGE] Community Other Development funding Block Grant [PERCENTA GE] TF GRANT SRF This project was ranked as the No. 1 priority on the State’s 2019 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Project Priority List. The system has chronic issues with bacteria and distribution system leaks, and other water infrastructure issues. The project consists of a complete reconstruction of the water system including a new well source, pump house, storage tank and full distribution system piping and service connections to 69 homes. [PERCENT AGE] SRF TF Grant (1) Drinking Water Contamination, (2) Time Criticality, and (3) Financial Hardship CDBG Other The community Median Household Income (MHI) is $37, 607 – significantly below the statewide average, and the cooperative has maximized its debt service capacity with the purchase of the park in 2018 and a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund $1 M loan approved in 2019. The Trust Fund Grant is in addition to a grant received from the federal

DWGTF CONTACTS Erin Holmes, P. E. Drinking Water & Groundwater Trust Fund Administrator erin. holmes@des. nh. gov Paige Relf Drinking Water & Groundwater Trust Fund Program Assistant paige. relf@des. nh. gov