Is There Enough?

The future of Water in Southern New Hampshire.

Projections show southern New Hampshire’s population growing by 28 percent in the next 25 years. It has some state and city officials worried about water usage---and for good reason. Taking into consideration an estimated annual water use of 30,000 gallons per person, total water demand in southern NH can be expected to increase by 14.3 million gallons per day.

The short answer is yes, there is enough water to sustain our booming population. It is estimated that southern New Hampshire has a daily availability of over 200 million gallons with an average daily demand of approximately 60 million gallons. The projected population increase is estimated to result in an average daily demand of approximately 65.5 million gallons per day. But the average daily use changes dramatically throughout the year considering that demand for water more than doubles on the driest days.

That means the greatest challenge to preserving the water supply over the next 20 years is getting people to change their attitudes about water usage during the summer months. We all need to understand the water is for the people of the entire region and not for one city or town alone.

Pennichuck’s 155 years of experience can be an invaluable resource for communities during planning and implementation stages of their water supplies over the next two decades.

New Hampshire Water Council

Stephen J. Densberger, President of Pennichuck Water Service Company, has been reappointed to the State of New Hampshire Water Council. He has spent six years on the state’s most important water committee, overseeing regulatory administration and hearing consumer issues.