To administer the provisions of this chapter and to perform such other related duties as may be required, the department of environmental services is designated as the agency to receive and utilize any federal or other aids which may at any time be made available in the interest of water pollution control in the basin. The department is empowered to hire consulting engineering firms for purposes of project design and to employ such professional, technical, clerical, accounting, or other staff or consulting personnel as are required to implement the provisions of this subdivision and to arrange for the orderly transfer of ownership and operation of existing pollution abatement facilities to the department on behalf of the state of New Hampshire within the limits of legislative appropriation
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To administer the provisions of this chapter and to perform such other related duties as may be required, the department of environmental services is designated as the agency to receive and utilize any federal or other aids which may at any time be made available in the interest of water pollution control in the basin. The department is empowered to hire consulting engineering firms for purposes of project design and to employ such professional, technical, clerical, accounting, or other staff or consulting personnel as are required to implement the provisions of this subdivision and to arrange for the orderly transfer of ownership and operation of existing pollution abatement facilities to the department on behalf of the state of New Hampshire within the limits of legislative appropriations. Any personnel (other than consultants) employed by the department shall be subject to the personnel laws of the state. This subdivision shall in no way impair or render null and void existing contracts between municipalities, contractors or other parties, or any of them, in connection with pollution control projects or sewerage, sewage or waste service contracts within the basin. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as prohibiting future sewerage or waste service contracts otherwise authorized by law between municipalities directly connected to the regional facilities provided for by this subdivision and other persons, including but not limited to municipalities, served or to be served by such facilities but not directly connected to such facilities. All such future contracts, however, shall be submitted at least 60 days in advance of their effective dates to the department, which is empowered to disapprove the terms of any such future contract in whole or in part when in its judgment the efficient administration or the purposes of this subdivision would be adversely affected, and such contract shall not be valid to the extent it is disapproved. In any such contract, unless otherwise specifically provided in the contract, the person or persons served by such regional facility but not directly connected to such facility shall have strict responsibility for the accurate measurement of the amount of sewage or waste disposed of by such person or persons and shall be liable to the municipality directly connected to such regional facilities for the entire amount of sewage or waste, as measured, if any inaccuracy is in favor of such municipality, and for the actual amount of sewage or waste, as estimated, if any inaccuracy is in favor of such person or persons. The commissioner is authorized to adopt, pursuant to RSA 541-A and after public hearing, such rules as are necessary to implement the provisions of this subdivision.