Sununu signs law aimed at reducing water contamination

NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire environmental officials have less than three months to propose a plan to substantially reduce contamination from the Coakley Landfill superfund site in North Hampton.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday that gives the Department of Environmental Services until Nov. 1 to design a remedy, estimate its costs and set a reasonable timetable for implementation. By January, there must be an agreement among the department, the Coakley Landfill group, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and other parties, and implementation of the agreed-upon plan must start by September 2020.

Contaminants from the site have entered the headwaters of a local brook, carrying them to surrounding towns and into drinking water.

Rep. Renny Cushing, a Hampton Democrat, was the lead sponsor of the legislation.

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