Portsmouth residents and business owners are being asked to conserve water.
Brian Goetz, the deputy public works director, tells the Portsmouth Herald a control valve at a water treatment plant in Madbury failed during a thunderstorm Tuesday night, reducing water production by a third.
Officials don't know how long it will take to fix the valve, so in the meantime, they are urging customers to reduce water usage as much as possible. For now, the system is meeting water supply demands, but if usage doesn't drop, the city may have to issue mandatory restrictions on irrigation.