Effective July 1, 2026, the City of Portsmouth will implement changes to its water and sewer utility rate structure, rates, and fees as part of the adopted Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Budget. These changes are based on recommendations from the City's recent Water and Sewer Rate Study.

Understanding Your Water and Sewer Bill

Water and sewer bills consist of two components:

The City of Portsmouth’s water supply sources have continued to perform reliably despite ongoing drought conditions that began in June 2025. Although the Bellamy Reservoir, Portsmouth’s primary surface water source, reached levels lower than those observed during the 2022 and 2024 droughts, reservoir storage stayed above the more critical lows recorded in 2016 and 2020. Groundwater levels are currently below seasonal norms; however, the Bellamy Reservoir has fully recovered.