City Of Portsmouth Requests Voluntary Water Restrictions

Member news from the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth:

June 11, 2021

DISCLAIMER: The following content wasn't created by, but is being shared by the Chamber Collaborative on behalf of a member.

PORTSMOUTH–The NH Drought Monitor has declared that the Seacoast area of New Hampshire is currently in Stage 1 of drought conditions with what it defines as “abnormally dry conditions.” At the same time, according to the City’s Water Department, the current hot and dry weather has increased demand on the City’s water supply.

To continue to meet that demand, on June 7, the Water Department has asked the City of Portsmouth and Pease International Tradeport water system customers to voluntarily conserve water. If dry conditions persist, mandatory restrictions for non-essential water use, including odd/even watering schedules may be required.

Rains in late April and the end of May helped to replenish the reservoir and groundwater; however, this area is still more than 10 inches below normal for the last twelve months, achieving just 77 percent of normal precipitation. The outlook from the NH Drought Monitor anticipates continued dry conditions.

For the full Water Status Report, visit: https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/sites/default/files/2021-06/WaterSupplyReport%202021.06.07.pdf

Water operations staff continuously assess City supply conditions, including monitoring the US Geological Survey stream flow gauges in the Oyster and Lamprey rivers. These gauges help estimate the amount of water being supplied to the Bellamy Reservoir through its tributaries, the Bellamy River and Mallego Brook. The recent rains helped the reservoir recover from the dry conditions earlier this year and some water is currently flowing over the reservoir’s spillway; however, this may stop if dry conditions persist.

Thanks to the integrated management of the City’s water system, operators can balance the amount of groundwater and surface water. The City now withdraws 30 percent less groundwater to meet demand than it did 10 years ago. When surface water is of sufficient quantity and quality its use helps preserve the availability of groundwater. Currently Portsmouth groundwater levels in the City’s wells are normal.

“Customer water demands increased over the weekend with the hot and dry weather,” said Brian Goetz City Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works. “Water operations staff have increased our supply pumpage and we have been able to meet the demand. However, if the weather continues to be hot and dry, we may need our customers to be even more efficient with their water use.”

The City of Portsmouth’s Water/Stormwater Division encourages residents to “Think Blue” and consider some of these water-saving measures that can be adopted:

www.cityofportsmouth.com/publicworks/water/water-efficiency-information

For additional information, please contact Al Pratt, Water Supply Operations Manager at 603 520-0622 or Brian Goetz, Deputy Director of Public Works at 603 766-1420.

This press release was produced by the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth. The views expressed are the author's own.