Dover receives state award for source water sustainability

posted on 6/10/2026

The City of Dover received the 2026 Source Water Sustainability Award last week during the 2026 Drinking Water Source Protection Conference in Pembroke.

The award, presented by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, recognizes work that conserves and preserves the availability of source water in New Hampshire.

Dover was recognized for several recent and ongoing initiatives, including bringing the Aquifer Storage and Recovery system online at the Pudding Hill Aquifer, reactivating the former Willand Pond well to help manage high pond levels during flooding and intense rainfall, and upgrading the Smith and Cummings well site with a new tank and improvements to the well pumphouse. Those upgrades significantly improved the energy efficiency of the well field.

The city was also recognized for more than 15 years of aggressive leak detection and repair, as well as its Groundwater Management Plan, which provides a roadmap for determining which wells to use based on factors such as energy efficiency, chemical costs, groundwater levels and contamination.

The award was presented during the conference at the New Hampshire National Guard’s Edward Cross Training Complex in Pembroke. The annual conference focused on protecting local drinking water resources, including PFAS, land conservation, salt reduction, cyanobacteria monitoring and updates on funding and rules for public water systems.