GSRWA and NHDES Sign Partnership Agreement
September 15, 2009

During the Association’s annual membership meeting at Mt. Sunapee Resort, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and GSRWA signed a partnership agreement to recognize their common goals of improving the technical, managerial and financial capability of rural drinking water and wastewater systems in NH.

This partnership agreement is the 12th to be signed as part of the DES Partners Program initiated with a wide range of organizations across New Hampshire. This is the first agreement DES has signed with an association from the water and wastewater industry.  “Our Partners Program enables DES to better align our joint efforts in support of the Department’s goals and the goals of our partner organizations,” stated DES Commissioner Tom Burack. GSRWA Executive Director, Jennifer Palmiotto called this agreement “a symbol of the positive relationship between NHDES and GSRWA and a blueprint for ways in which we can better meet the needs of New Hampshire’s Water and Wastewater Systems.

The Partnership Agreement was developed with input from GSRWA’s board, notably Paul Whittemore; the Association’s Executive Director,  Jennifer Palmiotto, and key DES staff including Sarah Pillsbury, Paul Heirtzler, and Commissioner Tom Burack. The drafting of the agreement gave GSRWA and staff from the DES Wastewater Engineering Bureau an opportunity to learn more about how the two entities provide technical assistance to wastewater systems.

In the Agreement, DES and GSRWA agree to collaborate on providing outreach, education and needed services to rural drinking water and wastewater systems. Helping these systems access financial resources is another important activity under the agreement as is strengthening communication on matters such as policy and rule changes, educational opportunities, and availability of services. The specific areas of cooperation are detailed in a work plan covering the period from September 2009 to September 2011.

2009 Awards of Excellence

Red Flag Rule Compliance Template          

Granite State Rural Water Association, in conjunction with the National Rural Water Association, has designed an Identity Theft Prevention Program Compliance Model to assist water and wastewater utilities with compliance of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Identity Theft Red Flag Rule. The rule requires utilities to develop an "Identity Theft Prevention Program." The program consists of selecting methods to detect red flags when accounts are fraudulent, procedures to prevent the establishment of false accounts, procedures to ensure existing accounts are not being manipulated, and procedures to respond to identity theft.

All utilities are required to comply with the FTC's "Identity Theft Red Flag Rule" even if only nominal information such as name, phone number and address are collected.

Your utility governing body will need to adopt this or a similar Identity Theft Prevention Program Compliance model by August 1, 2009.

Granite State Rural Water Association
322 Village Street
Penacook, NH 03303
(603) 753 4055
fax (603) 753 0031