While significant rainfall at the end of July into August was beneficial at the time for Portsmouth’s water supply, the current warm and dry conditions 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.

Work related to City’s ongoing sewer system evaluation study will begin on September 4, 2018 and is expected to continue through mid October 2018. This work will be used to identify areas of the City where rainwater is entering into the City’s sanitary sewer collection system and prioritize areas for future improvements. The crews performing the investigations will be “smoke testing” the City’s sanitary sewer collection system as part of this work. The smoke is a non-toxic vegetable based product, has no odor and is stainless. 

Precipitation events during the last couple weeks of July considerably reduced water demands. As the accompanying information shows, this rainfall also resulted in slightly higher than normal stream flows, reservoir levels and recharge to our water supplies. Therefore, the Portsmouth water system does not have any water use restrictions in place. We continue to ask our water customers to please use water wisely, minimize waste, and incorporate water efficient fixtures and appliances whenever possible.