Water Supply

The City of Keene delivers drinking water to approximately 85% of all Keene residents and the North Swanzey Water Precinct. Keene’s water comes from two reservoirs located in the town of Roxbury and from four wells located on Court and West streets. Water from the reservoirs goes to the Water Treatment Facility, where it is filtered, disinfected and made less acidic before it enters the distribution system. Well water is pumped from the Court and West Street aquifers. It is not filtered, but it is disinfected and the acidity is adjusted.

Because well water and reservoir water is mixed together in the distribution system, it is important for the city to continue resident education programs on water quality and pollution prevention to ensure that water quality remains high. It is also recommended that the city create and adopt specific performance standards for water supply and distribution that include flow, pressure and system life-cycle cost expectation.

The city should maintain its policy that maintenance or upgrades to the existing system has a higher priority than expansion of the system into new areas, unless the expansion would also improve an existing substandard system performance. The cost for expansions to the existing system should also be borne by those adding to the system. City water and sewer funds should be used for the maintenance and preservation of the existing system. Changes to the city’s land-use regulations and code should include standards for private and public systems and source protection, and should identify where connection is mandatory.