The worst drought in half a century has become a serious concern for state and local officials. As Correspondent Roger Wood reports, there is hope that spring rains will begin to return drinking water supplies back to normal.
The Bellamy reservoir in Madbury supplies 60 per cent of the drinking water to the residents of Portsmouth. It is also down about 110 million gallons, or 15 per cent from its full capacity. Lower water levels in such sources and empty wells of some New Hampshire residents are a worry for Governor Jeanne Shaheen, among others.
(SOT Shaheen) :12 OC: Waterfall, either rain or snow, in recorded history
Shaheen stood in front of the Bellamy Reservoir, to draw attention to legislation aimed at protecting the state's drinking water resources. But the event also brought into sharp focus the present circumstances of the drought, which has put city officials like Dave Allen, Deputy Director of public works in Portsmouth, on what he called high alert.
(SOT Allen) :18 OC: during the Spring if we didn't get any rain
Forty per cent of water for Portsmouth comes from other sources, two wells in the city, one in neighboring Greenland, and three in Madbury. One of those wells in Madbury has been shut down by the state, because of a higher than acceptable level of the chemical MTBE measured in the water. Allen said that the water level at the Bellamy reservoir has actually increased about half a foot in recent days because of recent rain and snowfall, but the groundwater feeding the wells takes longer to rebound from the lack of precipitation.
(SOT Allen) :24 OC: reduce our dependence on the groundwater sources
The City has embarked on a consultant study that will help it balance those resources, and provide phases of conservation, hopefully avoiding strict conservation measures during the height of the summer season, when water use is highest. In the meantime, Dave Allen is hoping for a wet Spring. For NHPR News, I'm Roger Wood in Madbury.
