DPW Press Releases

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required that all public water suppliers, including the City of Portsmouth submit an inventory of the materials in water service lines by October 16, 2024. These service lines are the pipes that deliver drinking water from the public water mains to customers. The inventory requirement is part of the EPA Lead and Copper Rule Revision.

The Portsmouth Department of Public Works is hosting a public meeting to discuss the Route 1 Bypass-Coakley Road-Cottage Street Intersection Redesign Project on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 6 pm at the Portsmouth Senior Activity Center (125 Cottage Street). This is a hybrid meeting held in-person and via Zoom. To register for participating by Zoom, visit: portsnh.co/Bypass-Coakley-Cottage.  

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works is partnering with HydroPredictions, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the University of New Hampshire, and Jennifer M. Jacobs and Associates, LLC, on a groundwater monitoring project. The project will assess baseline groundwater levels, water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure, and the vulnerabilities the built environment faces from rising water table levels in Portsmouth stemming from sea level rise.

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works Water Division begins its seasonal routine flushing of fire hydrants and water mains on Monday, September 16, 2024. The flushing will take place at various locations, Monday through Thursday, between 7 am and 11 pm, and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works will hold its biannual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Public Works facility at 680 Peverly Hill Road. Residents of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington are encouraged to bring household chemicals for safe disposal between 8 am and 12 noon.

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works (DPW) hosts a public meeting for the Greenleaf Avenue – Lafayette Road Intersection and Sidewalks Project on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6 pm in the DPW Training Room, 680 Peverly Hill Road in Portsmouth. Members of the public who wish to participate via Zoom must register in advance. 

The Portsmouth and Pease drinking water systems continue to experience high demand in both systems due to irrigation and cooling system usage. In the last month the combined system demands have averaged 5.4 million gallons a day. Fortunately, water levels in both the City's reservoir and groundwater sources are holding up and system operators are managing the system such that water supplies are meeting these demands.

As the Department of Public Works continues to keep City property clear of obstructions and its lawns and gardens trimmed, the Parks & Greenery Department asks for residents help in keeping sidewalks and roadway sight lines clear.

Private property owners are required by City ordinance to keep the plants and shrubs on their property trimmed so as not to interfere with or obscure public property. This means keeping hedges bordering sidewalks and plants that might obstruct visibility at driveway and road intersections trimmed back. 

The City Water Department has published the Water Supply Report for the Second Quarter of 2024. Leading the report is detailed information regarding the fact that the Portsmouth and Pease drinking water systems are currently experiencing very high demands in the system due to irrigation and cooling system demands.