Piscataqua Region Environmental Planning Assessment

The Piscataqua Region Environmental Planning Assessment (PREPA) was conducted to document the current status of environmental planning efforts and land use regulations for each of the 42 New Hampshire municipalities and 10 Maine municipalities (city and town governments) in the Piscataqua Region. The assessment involved analysis of over 80 questions associated with municipal regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to resource management. The assessment theme areas include land protection, wildlife habitat, stormwater management, erosion/sediment control, wetland and shoreland protections, floodplain management, and drinking water source protection, among others. Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) staff and Land Use Team worked closely with a variety of stakeholders and the four regional planning commissions that service the Piscataqua Region on the development of the PREPA assessment form. For each of the 52 towns in the region, staff from the regional planning commissions reviewed municipal planning documents and interviewed key municipal representatives to complete an assessment form for each municipality. Data were collected in early 2009. This data was compiled by PREP into a database and analyzed for regional trends. Results for individual towns as well as regional trends are presented in this final project report. Differences between New Hampshire and Maine environmental policies are also evaluated for select issues pertaining to water quality and habitat protection