New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services NHDES

About us

The mission of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is to help sustain a high quality of life for all citizens by protecting and restoring the environment and public health in New Hampshire. The protection and wise management of the state’s environment are the main goals of the agency. 
Formed in January 1987 by state statute RSA 21-O, NHDES was legislatively created through the consolidation and reorganization of four previously separate agencies: the Air Resources Agency, the Office of Waste Management, the Water Supply and Pollution Control Commission, and the Water Resources Board. Each of these groups is now represented within the department’s three divisions: Air Resources, Waste Management and Water. NHDES leadership is composed of the agency commissioner, assistant commissioner, chief financial officer and directors of the three divisions.