Concord, NH  - The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has released two new tools to help homeowners better manage water running off their properties during storms (stormwater).

The New Hampshire Homeowner's Guide to Stormwater Management:  Do-It-Yourself Stormwater Solutions for Your Home provides fact sheets with step-by-step instructions to install stormwater treatment practices that homeowners can do themselves, such as dry wells and rain gardens. These stormwater treatment practices help protect nearby streams and ponds from water pollution, and help reduce flooding, create wildlife habitat, recharge groundwater, and conserve water resources.

The second tool, The New Hampshire Residential Loading Model, is a modeling tool for homeowners to estimate the amount of nutrients, specifically phosphorus and nitrogen running off of their properties.

As residents add driveways, walkways, home additions, sheds, or garages to their properties, the amount of water that seeps into the ground decreases and the amount of water running off their property increases.  This can result in flooding and water pollution as the increased water flow picks up and carries pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen to nearby waterbodies or groundwater supplies.  This model can help homeowners plan their additions and changes to properties while reducing impacts to water resources.

According to Harry Stewart, DES Water Division Director, "our intent is to provide homeowners and local building officials with a simple tool to identify cost effective ways to offset potential impacts to water resources."

Both resources are available at

http://m1e.net/c?82384231-HPRMth9PvdXmQ%406386493-FG8fge/HKtKqk by entering in "Stormwater Management" in the "search this site" at the top right of the DES home page.  For more information please contact Eric Williams at (603)271-2358 or at eric.williams@des.nh.gov."