CONCORD (AP) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday he’s planning to ask for money from the state Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission to be put into an emergency fund to help people whose wells have dried up because of drought conditions.
Sununu said he would seek several million dollars for the fund.
“We don’t want anyone to go without drinking water,” he said at his weekly news conference.
The commission was established to oversee the Exxon-Mobil settlement funds awarded to the state as damages from MtBE contamination totaling nearly $278 million. State Sen. Chuck Morse, a Republican from Salem, chairs the commission.
The governor made his announcement as nearly 22% of New Hampshire now has extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S Drought Monitor released Thursday.
That’s despite getting some rainfall. The area includes parts of Belknap, Carroll, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford counties. Last week, nearly 10.6 % of the state was in an extreme drought.
Most of the state is in a severe drought.
There’s a chance of rain in the Northeast in the six- to 10-day outlook.
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