The City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire provides drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to residents and local businesses. The utility provides drinking water to about 8,000 customers in the communities of Portsmouth, Greenland, Rye, Newcastle and Newington, and large commercial, industrial and recreational customers.

Library

The Portsmouth Public Library, New Hampshire's first municipal building to receive the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (http://www.usgbc.org/leed) silver certification, has been recognized for its design and construction in the areas of energy conservation, recycling, lighting, and use of local materials. The library also contains other sustainable features such as low flow toilets, native drought resistant plants in the landscaping, and printers which release fumes out of the building, instead of in.

Stormwater is water from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground. Stormwater in a forest, meadow, or other natural environment usually soaks into the ground, i.e., infiltrates, or is filtered as it flows along the ground and over native vegetation. When water falls on roads and parking lots it often makes its way into nearby streams and waterbodies untreated. The pollutants carried with this stormwater said to be the most pressing pollutant problem we are facing today and are being addressed through the Clean Water Act.

Policy

The Portsmouth School Board has recently completed a first reading of a sustainability policy which will help to further the school system's support for sustainable beliefs and practices. 

The City's Conservation Commission has completed a number of inventory efforts looking wetlands, important upland areas, and conservation opportunities. In addition the Commission has increased the protection of wetlands, and is working on improving its stewardship efforts. A number of studies highlight the work that has been done and can be read and downloaded below.

Below is a list of additional Sustainability Initiatives the City is working or has completed

Sustainability
1 Junkins Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Phone: (603) 610-7215

The Sustainability Committee consists of twelve members and up to two member seats for current students from Portsmouth High School. In addition, one staff liaison from the Planning and Sustainability Department, one City Councilor and one School Board member hold seats on the Committee. The Committee regularly meets on the fourth Thursday of the month, unless otherwise noticed.