SB299

I am a summer resident on Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonborough Neck, Braun Bay. Our family has owned the property since 1920. What contractors and landscapers do on lakefronts directly impacts the quality of water we draw for showers and dishwashing as well as where we swim. Lake water quality has been severely impacted as shoreline properties have become over developed. Cyanobacteria has been a recurring problem that must be addressed where rain run off has been fouling the lake. I strongly support SB 299.

Anyone who introduces pollutants into our lakes must face consequences, not pass responsibility onto the property owner, who may not even be present when work is conducted, or have control over what materials are used.

The Shoreland Protection Act needs to be enforceable. Contractors need to be held accountable and not be able to avoid penalties through delays and loopholes. Why pay a fine if you can wait and avoid it? This will be an actual deterrence for them instead of a mild annoyance. Thank you, Miles Canaday

I have seen too many occurrences on Ossipee Lake and its bays, Pine River Pond, and within the protected shoreline of major rivers in our watershed where contractors are repeat offenders of shoreland violations and not penalized, so they continue to break the rules. Issues have involved removal of too many trees and shoreline vegetation, building too close to the high water mark, constructing faulty septic systems, docks without permits, decks without permits, septic systems without permits, filling in of wetlands, and ignoring town and state regulations. These contractors should be held accountable for their violations, and the state needs to take a stronger stance on protecting our lakes and rivers.

Contractors should be held accountable for polluting our natural resources, like our lakes!

Protection of our lakes is critical for the economy of NH, and enforcement of regulations needs to be improved.

I live Beverly near a lake so know the importance this law.

I have volunteered on the Wolfeboro Conservation Commission since 2005, serving as Chair since 2019. Wolfeboro encompasses or is situated along multiple water bodies including Lakes Winnipesaukee and Wentworth. I have seen first hand that Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act violations are not always remediated. This is due in part to a lack of state funding for enforcement, but there are other aspects. These days, shoreland properties are mostly occupied by wealthy second homeowners. While many are responsible stewards of their land, unfortunately there are some who feel that the fines they may incur for violations are just a "price of doing business" in order to get that "perfect view" of the lake. Shifting the accountability to the contractors would help alleviate this phenomenon. In other instances the landowners simply don't know any better, and are relying on the contractors and agents to follow the law. Contractors and agents working within the protected shoreland have (or certainly should have) intimate working knowledge of the SWQPA, and it should be incumbent on them to ensure the law is followed. Better enforcement of the laws protecting our shorelands will help reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and nutrients entering the lakes, a known cause of cyanobacteria blooms and general degredation of water quality. It will benefit the state economically by keeping tourism rates high, and landowners by keeping their property values high.

I am a member of the Bradford Conservation Commission. Bradford is home to Lake Massasecum and part of Lake Todd. Contractors should definitely be knowledgeable and held accountable for damage to shorelines. Much of this damage is long term.

Thank you!

While my legal residence is Concord, I also own property on Lake Winnipesaukee (Town of Tuftonboro) and have seen a lot of development there through seven decades. I joined others in applauding the shoreland protection legislation but note there's been some cheating and I'm astonished to find that legal accountability for contractors working on our shorefronts is lacking. I support SB299 as a measure to address this.

It's a good idea to hold contractors (and others) accountable for their actions which can pollute precious water resources. Please vote OTP on HB299.

I believe that in all aspects of life people should take responsibility for what they do. Contractors are no exception. Currently, I know that in Wolfeboro and environs contractors are charging exhorbitant prices for anything they do. They and not the homeowners who pay those exhorbitant prices should certainly be held responsible for any damages they cause both short term and long term!

I have a large family vacation for years now, on lake Winnepesaki. And year after year I see the impact of the degradation of the shoreline and how it impacts the water. So much so, that we don’t want to vacation there next year and have looked elsewhere in Maine. It used to be beautful there, but it got overrun by development. So I heard about this bill and Support it because anything that would increase and more rapidly remedy shoreline degradation is necessary. Act quick before the lake is no longer a viable place to enjoy. Lisa moir

Please protect our water quality and natural shorelines! I have lived on Winnipesaukee for years and I’m concerned about the water quality and we need to do more to protect it. Thank you. Michael Baro

It is a contractor‘s professional responsibility to know the implications of his work . He/she can then advise the client appropriately, but should be held responsible.

There are many residents who do not live at their homes year round, and they do not supervise what type of fertilizer is being applied by a contractor - 0r - if the landscaper might cut or alter landscape without their knowledge. This law will help place the responsibility directly on the contractors who work on properties surrounding our lake. Keep Winni Blue!!

I support SB 299 because it closes a loophole that allows contractors to escape accountability and liability for their performance or supervision of work that violates the Shoreline Water Quality Protection Act, regardless of whether the owner corrects the violation. The reality is that most homeowners are unaware of the requirements of the Shoreline Water Quality Protection Act and rely on their contractors to apprise them of these requirements. As such, it both fair (as between the owner and contractor) and in the public interest for contractors for have responsibility to advise owners of these legal requirements and to ensure all work is performed in accordance with these requirements. Not only with this ensure that "bad actor" contractors will effectively indemnify owners against the costs of curing violations that are identified by public authorities, it will also strongly incentivize contractors to ensure that the vast preponderance of work that never comes to the attention of public authorities is nonetheless performed in accordance with law. The protection of our shoreline and water resources is critical for the health of NH citizens and the success of the large tourist-driven sector of our economy. Contractors should be held accountable to do their part to protect both.

Having grown up on Lake Winnipesaukee and in the Lakes Region, I learned to swim in those lakes and later became a certified swimming instructor for the YMCA where I taught young boys how to swim in those lakes. Many of us have enjoyed swimming in those lakes over the years and indeed many tourists in the Lakes Region come for that specific purpose. It is imperative that we protect these lakes from pollution - this bill will provide the regulation ( which is a very good word ) to keep our lakes clean and swim-able. Please use common sense and pass it. Thank you, Beverly Pietlicki

Please support HB 299. Contractors should be held accountable when they break the law. I have seen water front property lots that have been cleared by contractors of all vegetation right down to the water. If the penalties are high enough, they will not do it. Let's close this loophole and put a stop to this to protect our lakes from storm water runoff pollution.

Dear Members of the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, Thank you for dedicating your time to serving the people of NH. Please support SB299 to protect our lakes and homeowners from irresponsible contractors. Without a disincentive penalty/means of enforcement that falls on the violators instead of just the homeowners, the Shoreland Protection Act isn't going to protect our precious waterbodies the way it should. Under the pressures of increasing development and usage, NH's lakes are seeing declining water quality. Preventing problems is so much less expensive than remediating them. NHDES should be allowed to take action against contractors who do not protect our lakes. Shady contractors who ignore the requirements should not get away with taking work from reputable contractors who follow the permit requirements and respect our clean water! Thank you for your consideration and please support SB299! Jen King

The lakes and mountains are the crown jewels of our state, so efforts must be made to help keep them in their natural, pristine condition. These efforts include making sure that people such as contractors are held responsible and accountable for any potentially deleterious actions.

Contractors should be held accountable for violating state laws which apply to work along or on our lake Shorelines. Our lakes cannot take care of themselves! Recently our lakes have been telling us we are not doing an adequate job of caring for them by producing more frequent and intense cyanobacteria blooms. The NH shoreland regulations are one tool to help curb such blooms and contractors must be held accountable to abide by them or not accept shoreland work. Please Pass this legislation!

I support this bill because the Shoreland Protection Act needs teeth! I live on a NH lake, and far too often, contractors, at the behest of property owners who have hired them, engage in practices that are flagrant violations of the Act. They should not be allowed to do so with impunity.

I am in complete support of this bill...72 years on Lake Winni! It deserves all that can be done to protect it from further man made deterioration. Contractors need to be held accountable for anything done that would contribute to it's decline