Water Storage Tank Rehabilitations

The Portsmouth Water System has three water storage tanks with a combined total capacity of 10 million gallons. These tanks are inspected every five years. The inspection from 2025 identified structural and surface coating items that will be addressed with this project. The City had requested proposals for an assessment of the Lafayette Tank and pressure study in 2023 and the engineering company, Haley-Ward, provided recommendations for improvements to the Lafayette Tank. They also prepared an assessment and bid documents for the Spinney Road Tank and the Newington Booster Tank. The rehabilitation consists of spot interior and exterior repairs and a full exterior coating on the Spinney Road Tank; full interior and exterior repair and coating of the Newington Booster Tank; and spot repairs and coatings on the Lafayette Tank. Six companies bid on the rehabilitation and coating with a price range from $2,222,330 to $2,857,528.

The project is scheduled to begin in September 2026 with work on the Spinney Road Tank. The Newington Booster Tank work will be done in the Spring of 2027, and Lafayette Tank in the Fall of 2027.

There may be some areas of the City that experience a slight reduction of pressure during the project while the tanks are drained and removed from service. Each tank is scheduled to be out of service for between two and four months.