Maine
Mandatory Reporting for Water Withdrawals - LD 1488, authored by Rep. Scott Cowger, requires annual water use reporting (beginning on December 1, 2003) by all water users who withdraw more than specified threshold levels. The bill also directs the state environmental protection agency to adopt rules that establish water use standards to help protect aquatic life and establish criteria for designating watersheds most at risk from excessive water withdrawals.

New Hampshire
Commercial withdrawals - SB 410, which passed the House, but died in the Senate, subjects commercial withdrawals greater than 57,600 gallons per day to new standards. It clarifies the area around a well that must be studied before a permit is issued. Future water needs must be considered when issuing permits and applicants must prove their ability to pay for any problems created by pumping. It also launches a study of the hierarchy of water use and best uses of a specific water resource. The bill gives communities limited veto authority over proposals.

Regional interconnects - SB437, passed in 2003, allows the Governor to declare an emergency and order protection of public water supplies. It also lets the state require regional water hookups in emergencies or upon public request.