Supply Status

Portsmouth Drinking Water Supply 
2021 Year in Review

Highlights of 2021

The following report provides a summary of the water system operations for the Portsmouth and Pease International Tradeport drinking water systems. Highlights from 2021 for both water systems include:

• The Portsmouth and Pease drinking water systems had no drinking water quality violations in 2021.
• Water Production:
  • 3.6 million Gallons – Average Day
  • 6.2 million Gallons – Maximum Day
  • 2.5 million Gallons – Minimum Day
• Drought conditions continued into July, then ten inches of precipitation occurred
• Construction of a new water filtration system to treat PFAS contamination at Pease was completed during the summer of 2021 and the Haven well was reactivated in August

Water supplied to Portsmouth water system customers comes from a combination of surface water and groundwater sources. The surface water supply is the Bellamy Reservoir, which is located in Madbury and Dover. Water flows from the reservoir to the Water Treatment Facility (WTF) in Madbury, where it is treated before distribution to our regionally served water customers.

Water supplied to Pease Tradeport water system customers comes primarily from the groundwater wells located on the Tradeport (Harrison, Smith and Haven wells). Portsmouth water system supplies water to the Pease Tradeport water system as needed.

Precipitation and Weather

At year-end, the overall water supply conditions for the Portsmouth and Pease water systems had recovered from a very dry period experienced throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021. The following graphics show the monthly precipitation as recorded at the Pease NOAA weather station and the cumulative precipitation through the year. At year-end, the total precipitation of 43.4 inches was near the normal of 45 inches.

The State of New Hampshire active their Drought Management Plan and convened their Drought Management Team during the summer of 2020. City water operations staff participated in the meetings. The Team consisted of state, federal, regional and municipal agencies, including the Portsmouth DPW Water Division. Actions included: assessing reservoir impacts and adjusting operations, working with drinking water systems statewide and ensuring the public is informed of the impacts and conservation measures that should be employed now to avoid serious problems later in the summer. Throughout the drought our water system provided updates and encouraged water users to “Think Blue” and consider water-saving measures at home, including participating in the City’s water efficiency rebate program. The team was getting ready to reconvene meetings in 2021 when the rains came in July.

The following graphics, from the U.S. Drought Monitor, show the progression of the drought during the summer of 2021 and the recovery after rains occurred in July through October:

RIVER FLOW AND RESERVOIR LEVEL

The following graphic shows the flow trend, according to the gauged Oyster River, which we use to assess the flow into the Bellamy Reservoir, for 2021. The low flow conditions that persisted until July are highlighted. Flows picked up after those rainfall events and continued through the rest of the year.

GROUNDWATER LEVELS AND SUPPLY CAPABILITY

Groundwater levels in most of our water sources are much better than normal. In fact, some of the well levels are higher than they have been in years. This can be somewhat attributed to the way we received precipitation, however, it can also be attributed to our water operations staff’s optimization of the use of surface water versus groundwater. Cutting back our groundwater withdrawals has allowed well levels to be maintained in a sustainable manner and more water availability for the system to meet peak demand. Each well has a continuous water level meter and the water pumped is also metered. This allows system operators the capability of assessing groundwater level trends and we are able to determine overall source of supply capability.

WATER PRODUCTION

The water produced by the combined Portsmouth/Pease water system averaged 3.59 million gallons per day. This is the lowest average production in nearly 40 years. Through diligent management of our water distribution system and service pipelines we have been able to identify and fix a number of leaking pipes. The reduction of water lost in these pipes has reduced the overall water production needs in the systems. It is now standard practice for our staff to continually inspect our water system for leaks. With 200 plus miles of water pipelines this is a lot of effort. The following graphics show the monthly and annual trends in water supply production for the Portsmouth and Pease Tradeport water system:

The following graphic provides a breakdown of the supply sources for our surface and groundwater systems together with graphics showing the percentage of supply sources serving Portsmouth and Pease customers:

WATER SALES

Water sales remained fairly consistent with past years. Re-development and additional customers on the system are generally efficient water users, with newer, low-flow fixtures. The radio-read system for customer water meters allows daily access to water use trends and also allows staff the ability to notify any users that have excessive water use, noting potential leaks within customer plumbing. The following graphic shows the water sales trend for the last 6 years. The graphic after that shows the efforts by the metering staff to change out older meters and notify customers of potential leaks. We continue to change out at least 10% of meters in the system and are also downsizing meters where appropriate, which helps to increase system accuracy.

WATER QUALITY

The Portsmouth Water Division routinely monitors water quality parameters and performs water quality sampling and analysis as directed by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Water sources are monitored for radioactive, biological, inorganic, volatile organic, or synthetic organic contaminants. Critical water treatment parameters for turbidity, pH, chlorine, orthophosphate and fluoride are continually monitored and tracked by our system operators. The regulations require us to monitor for certain substances less often than once per year because the concentrations of these substances do not change frequently. In these cases, the most recent sample data are reported, along with the year in which the sample was taken. Annual Water Quality Reports for both water systems detail these efforts and are mailed to each water system customer annually. 

SAFE WATER ADVISORY GROUP (SWAG)

The Safe Water Advisory Group was created with the approval of City Council on October 5, 2020. Its mission is to review and communicate the latest science on the health and environmental effects of drinking water contaminants (with a heavy focus on PFAS), to monitor federal and state level legislative changes, and to anticipate policy changes that could impact the city of Portsmouth. The SWAG met five times in 2021 and discussed topics including PFAS regulations, extent, treatment, and testing programs; legislative items associated with drinking water, private well studies, climate change, and community organizing. The group also toured the Portsmouth Surface Water Treatment Facility in Madbury. Video recordings SWAG meetings are posted on the City’s YouTube channel.

The 2022 Portsmouth City Council voted to reinstate the SWAG for another year. The public is invited to attend meetings and encouraged to be involved with the community and informed of all aspects of the City’s water supply. If you are interested, please consider attending a community drinking water forum that will be held during National Drinking Water week in May 2022.

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

The City of Portsmouth Water and Planning Departments have joined Strawbery Banke to create a major new exhibit, funded in part by the Roger A. and Theresa S. Thompson Foundation. “Water Has a Memory: Preserving Strawbery Banke and Portsmouth from Sea Level Rise” is a major contribution to the effort to educate the public about the damage already being done to the historic landscapes of the Northeast – specifically the Seacoast – from the consequences of sea level rise. The new exhibits tells that story over time, introduces the City’s “Think Blue” suggestions for ways individuals can make a difference in mitigating the effects, including water efficiency measures they can take.