DPW Press Releases

The arrival of the autumnal equinox and cooler weather are good reminders that now is a good time for residents to consider some fall clean-up suggestions that will assist the Department of Public Works with its preparations for winter.

Portsmouth Public Schools have started a new school year and with teachers, parents and students adjusting to new schedules for in-school learning, drivers are urged to be extra cautious on city streets and to watch for crossing guards at key locations around the city.

With more downtown businesses reopening to employees who require parking, the City of Portsmouth DPW Park/Portsmouth Division offers a reminder that the Downtown Workforce Parking Program is available year-round.

The Portsmouth DPW Water Division begins the routine flushing of the City’s fire hydrants and water mains on Monday, September 21. Flushing is scheduled between 7 pm and 11 pm, Monday through Thursday for the next six weeks. The flushing operation covers both public and private hydrants in Portsmouth, New Castle, Rye, Greenland and Newington. Crews open select fire hydrants, releasing water with enough velocity to carry sediment out of the pipes.

The Portsmouth Department of Public Works will hold its biannual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, October 3, 2020, 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. Proof of residency is required.

Continuing work on the Islington Street Corridor Reconstruction Project will affect the section between Bartlett Street and Cass Street, starting Monday, September 14.  Crews have begun removing curbing and sidewalk and installing a temporary water system in that area, in preparation for the replacement of underground utility systems (sewer, water, and drain) and the reconstruction of the roadway and sidewalk.

Due to ongoing drought conditions, the Portsmouth Department of Public Works Water Division is activating a water-use restrictions schedule. Effective immediately, the Water Division is asking customers to water lawns and gardens only between midnight and 10 am on odd-numbered days. There should be no outdoor watering on even-numbered days.

Portsmouth DPW is preparing to begin preliminary engineering and field work for the Fleet Street Reconstruction Project. DPW hosts a Public Information Meeting on the project, via Zoom, on September 9 at 6:30 pm. For Zoom registration instructions, click here.

The venerable gilded mahogany eagle carved by Strawbery Banke Museum’s Ron Raiselis and restored by Jared Tuveson of Tuveson Studios in Rollinsford NH returned to the top of the Liberty Pole in Prescott Park this morning. This 38" tall, 36" wide eagle, the third since 1824, has watched over Portsmouth since 2002, turning on its perch with the wind thanks to the metal rod on which it can pivot. It was removed for restoration last September when the Liberty Pole was being repainted.