DPW Press Releases

While significant rainfall at the end of July into August was beneficial at the time for Portsmouth's water supply, the extreme heat conditions continue to place strain on the City's water system. The ongoing heat increases water supply demands and places further stress to treat quality issues due to added organics within the water. Additionally, the annual precipitation average remains below normal due to the dry spring and the City continues to operate without the support of the Haven Well.

The City of Portsmouth’s Water Division has been named a recipient of the New England Water Works Association’s (NEWWA) Public Communications Award; this award recognizes excellence in communications through comprehensive public outreach materials and programs.

The City of Portsmouth’s Department of Public Works have again employed the services of two University of New Hampshire graduates who interned in their Geographic Information System (GIS) department this year. Working under the guidance of the City’s GIS Coordinator, Jamie McCarty, Evan Silva and Thomas Nethercott used global positioning equipment, cameras and own observations to inspect the City’s water infrastructure and compile data for other City initiatives.

As part of the City’s Lafayette Road and Andrew Jarvis Drive intersection improvement project, extensive utility work resulting in traffic delays will occur Thursday, August 9th through Monday, August 13th; this will include a complete road closure of Lafayette Road, between Greenleaf Avenue and the Route 1 bypass, on Monday, August 13th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Portsmouth’s community reporting and engagement mobile iOS app – also known as Portsmouth Click N’ Fix – has received a complete redesign and feature upgrade.

Public Works Deputy Director Brian Goetz recently joined a group discussion with New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) on water conservation and managing current drought conditions. You can listen to the interview here.

For more information on drought conditions:

Guided public tours of the Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) construction site will be conducted on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. City staff, along with others involved in the construction of the Peirce Island WWTF upgrade project, will be guiding interested parties through the construction site to provide an opportunity to observe the status of the ongoing construction.

The City of Portsmouth, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, will be closing the exit ramp to Echo Avenue from the Spaulding Turnpike on Friday, July 20, 2018. The closure is planned to be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a six-month trial period. The closure is intended to reduce the volume of traffic using Echo Avenue as a “cut-through” from the Turnpike to Woodbury Avenue.

The Foundry Place Garage on Deer Street is scheduled to open in October 2018. In addition to lower hourly rates, the monthly pass holder rates at Foundry Place will be a reduced cost of $100 for City of Portsmouth residents, and $125 for non-residents.