Public Utilities
Out With The Old,
In With The New!

The water and sewer lines of Portsmouth have consistently served its residents well throughout the years. As with any piece of equipment, it ages and becomes more likely to break down. Although repairs and adjustments help prolong the life of the system, a long-term solution is needed to maintain quality service. Through the Neighborhood Water & Sewer Replacement Program, we can now begin to renew water and sewer lines on a larger scale.

The Neighborhood Water & Sewer Replacement Program is a program designed to systematically replace or rehabilitate water and sewer lines throughout the city, one neighborhood at a time. This program is a part of the voter-approved 1998 Utilities Bond Referendum, which also included the following:

• Improvement of the water treatment process at the water treatment plant
• Installation of 300 water quality sampling stations throughout the city
  Initiation of a "high speed" unidirectional water main flushing program

Together, these projects will insure water quality and improve our utility system for the future.
Neighborhoods are chosen based on the age and condition of the infrastructure. We are currently preparing to bring this program to the Parkview area. The average age of the water lines in Parkview is 80 years, while some of the sewer lines are from the early 1900s.

Over the next few months, you will see various contractors and workers around your neighborhood. These folk are gathering information for use in the design of the project. Some are going in the sewers and manholes to make an observation, so that we can determine how we want to renew them. Others are establishing the locations of the sewer and water lines in the neighborhood, so that we may determine where they can be placed. All of this information will be used to design the layout of the new lines. The entire design process will take about 8-10 months, so it will be some time before you see construction begin.