NH HB1478

Establishes minimum setback distances for new landfills from drinking water wells, rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, requiring groundwater contamination could not reach these water sources within 5 years of any leak or failure, with a minimum setback of 1,500 feet

Requires new landfill sites to have undisturbed in-situ soils for 20 feet beneath the footprint with maximum saturated hydraulic conductivity of 1 x 10^-4 cm/sec; imported soil cannot substitute for deficient natural soils

Mandates 24-hour, year-round staffing at all landfill facilities from the date waste acceptance begins through final closure

Exempts expansions of existing RCRA Subtitle D landfills that were permitted and operating as of January 1, 2025 from the "new landfill" requirements

Changes permit denial authority from discretionary ("may deny") to mandatory ("shall deny") and incorporates federal restrictions prohibiting landfills within 6 miles of certain smaller public airports