Protecting Drinking Water Resources: A Conservation Priority Index for Vulnerable Source Water Areas in New Hampshire
Presentation Time: Fri, 12/05/2025 - 13:00
Keywords: Source Water Protection Areas, Conservation Prioritization, New Hampshire, Drinking Water, Land Use Planning
Growing development pressure and increasingly heavy rainfall events threaten New Hampshire's surface waters and the drinking water supplies they support. The state's rivers, lakes, and wetlands serve as critical sources of public drinking water. While Source Water Protection Areas have been designated around public water supplies, many lack formal conservation protection. This project uses geospatial analysis to identify and prioritize these unprotected areas for conservation action based on vulnerability and landscape sensitivity. Using ArcGIS Pro, statewide datasets were integrated to assess multiple risk factors: impaired waterways, land cover-based runoff potential, FEMA flood hazard zones, and terrain-derived hydrological characteristics. Each factor was standardized and weighted to construct a Conservation Priority Index (CPI) that identifies where water resources face the greatest threats from quality degradation and hydrologic sensitivity. The results demonstrate that many Source Water Protection Areas remain unprotected and overlap with impaired waterways or areas with elevated runoff potential. Many high-priority zones are concentrated in central and western regions, where land development pressure intersects with complex topography. These areas demonstrate significant water quality concerns and heightened vulnerability to land-use change and extreme precipitation events. The Conservation Priority Index provides a spatial support tool to guide conservation strategies that safeguard public water supplies. By identifying where protection efforts would yield the greatest benefit, this index can help target limited conservation resources more effectively. As development continues and climate change intensifies precipitation events, strategic protection of Source Water Protection Areas will become essential for ensuring safe drinking water and maintaining resilience across New Hampshire.
