The Piscataqua River Estuaries Partnership (PREP), a regional source water collaborative operating in the Piscataqua River Basin in New Hampshire and Maine, recently released the Piscataqua Region Environmental Planning Assessment (PREPA). Building on the successes of the first assessment, completed in 2010, which led to targeted and coordinated implementation of the PREP Conservation Management Plan, the 2015 report provides up-to-date analysis of land use regulations and planning practices as they relate to clean water across the 52 municipalities in the Piscataqua Region.
Through an extensive stakeholder survey process, PREP identified three major threats to the Piscataqua watershed: nitrogen loading, impervious cover, and climate change. Explanation of their findings and recommended actions are available on their website and detailed in the full assessment.
All 52 municipalities in the watershed contributed to development of the PREPA report and continue to play critical roles in the protection of source water and water quality in the area. The PREPA report and the Piscataqua River Estuaries Partnership highlight the value of collaboration in facilitating regional coordination, information sharing, and leveraging of resources and expertise across multiple partners.
Looking for a collaborative near you? Want to learn more about how collaboration can help protect your sources of drinking water? Visit our map of local and regional collaboratives and explore the How to Collaborate Toolkit.