Water Department

2025-2026 Water Service Line Potholing

Project: Using contractor and water department staff to inspect and catalog water service line material using potholing methods.

Location: Services served by the Hinsdale Water Department whose service line material has not been confirmed through records review.

Start Date: Late July 2025

Estimated Completion Date: End of October 2026

 

Project Background

The Hinsdale Water Department operates two public water systems, which serve approximately 80% of the Town’s population. The Hinsdale Water Department Downtown (Village) system serves an estimated 1,600 people through approximately 450 metered connections. The North Hinsdale Water Department (North Hinsdale) system serves about 1,800 people through a total of approximately 500 metered connections. In addition to single family residential homes, North Hinsdale feeds three manufactured home parks with a total of approximately 274 homes and a campground of approximately 300 sites.

Recent updates to the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule mandate that all water systems inventory their service lines. A water service line is the underground pipe that delivers water from the main supply, usually found in the street, to your home. These lines can be constructed using lead, copper, galvanized steel, iron, or plastic.

In 2024, the Hinsdale Water Department submitted our preliminary Lead Service Line Inventory to NHDES. We received a grant to get the assistance of a consultant to complete an initial inventory of our service lines. From our records, we were able to identify several service lines as non-lead plastic or copper. For the majority of our services, we have no record of the material.

In July 2025, we will begin the field work to identify the material of the approximately 800 service lines that are listed as unknown in the preliminary inventory. This will be done by potholing, using a vac truck to dig down to the service lines to see what the material is whether it be galvanized, lead, plastic or copper. In some cases, we may need the use of a backhoe to remove items, such as large rocks, that a vac truck cannot pick up. The field

information will be used to update the inventory. When this field work is complete, we will then know where replacements need to take place.

 

What Can Customers Expect?

Communication:

· Customers within the initial inventory group will receive mailed letters explaining the need for potholing and what to expect.

· An effort to place door hangers at service addresses 1-2 days prior to the start of potholing will also be made.

Utility Locates (1 to 5 days before potholing):

· Utility lines will be marked with paint or flags. Please do not remove these markers. They will fade over time after the potholing is completed.

Street Parking (24+ hours before potholing):

· Crews may place signage reducing or limiting street parking 24+ hours in advance of potholing work to reserve space needed for equipment access.

Potholing Activities:

· Crews will use machinery to dig small holes in the yard to inspect the material of the water line. This will take about two hours, and the area will be restored afterward.

Community Benefits

This effort is part of a statewide lead reduction initiative to reduce lead service lines.

The Hinsdale Water Department continues to optimize and maintain its corrosion control program. Through this program the water department keeps the lead and copper concentrations in the drinking water below the action levels set by EPA.

Funding

Most of this project is supported by a State Revolving Fund loan with 70% principal forgiveness. And some of this project is supported by the water operations budget that comes from the rates, charges and fees charged to water service customers.

Questions or concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns about this project, please call us at 603-336-5715 or email hinsdalewater@hinsdalenh.org.

This section of the Water Department's webpage will provide information on the recent notice sent to residents regarding your water service lines and the lead abatement program being required the government.  Click the section title to view the information.

• What is the value of water?
• Essential. Reliable. Invaluable. Water is critical for daily life and public health. We rely on it to drink, to cook, to clean, and for fire protection – essentially to live. The water system plays an important role in our economy too – supporting business, industry, and health care.
• The licensed water operators of the Hinsdale Water Department work diligently to ensure that our water continues to comply with all federal and state water drinking water regulations 100% of the time.
• Your water rates help the Hinsdale Water Department to operate reliably and to invest in infrastructure to ensure that we continue to meet regulatory requirements and provide safe water.
• What is a valve exercise program and why should I care?
• Maintenance and exercising of valves throughout the distribution system is important to avoid coming across valves that either fail to seat or operate in an emergency.  
• Fewer customers are affected by a water emergency when valves are regularly operated and maintained.
• The goal of the Hinsdale Water Department is to exercise at least 20 percent of the valves in the distribution system each year, with the aim of exercising all valves over a five-year period.
• What is being done to ensure that Hinsdale has a reliable supply of water?
• The Town of Hinsdale is served by 4 wells.  The Village system is supplied by two gravel packed wells near 76 Glenn Street.  The North Hinsdale system is supplied by gravel packed wells No. 3 and No. 2R located off 195 Meetinghouse Road.
• The Hinsdale Water Department regularly monitors the performance of our wells and schedules well cleaning and well pump refurbishment as required.
• What is PFAS?
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are increasingly being found in our environment. Some PFAS​ do not break down easily and can move through soil, get into groundwater, and be carried through air.
• In July 2020, New Hampshire House Bill 1264 was signed into law establishing the following MCLs in nanograms/liter (parts per trillion or ppt):
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – 12 ppt
• Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) – 15 ppt
• Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) – 18 ppt
• Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) – 11 ppt
• In 2022, Hinsdale’s wells met the health standards for New Hampshire.
• The Hinsdale Water Department will continue to monitor the well water at our four sources to ensure that PFAS concentrations continue to be below New Hampshire health standards.
• What is manganese and where does it come from?
• Manganese is a common, naturally occurring mineral found in rocks, soil, groundwater and surface water. It is a natural component of most foods and is necessary for proper nutrition. It is also present in breast milk and infant formulas.
• The Hinsdale Water Department regularly monitors well water for manganese to ensure concentrations continue to be below the health advisory levels.
• What Is arsenic?
• Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring metalloid, a toxic element found in the Earth’s crust that can be present in rocks, soil, air, and groundwater. The most common source of arsenic exposure is contaminated groundwater. It typically enters the water supply through the natural weathering of rocks.
• In 2022, no detectable amount of arsenic was found in any of Hinsdale’s wells.
• The Hinsdale Water Department regularly monitors well water for arsenic to ensure concentrations continue to be below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5 ug/L (parts per billion).
• How old is the Village water distribution system?
• The Village system was constructed in 1935 and contains lead goosenecks between the main and steel service lines.
• In December 2021, the USEPA issued the final Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR), which requires all community water systems to prepare an inventory of all water service materials on both the public side (main to curb stop) and private side (curb stop to meter) by October 16, 2024.
• The Hinsdale Water Department will be required to develop a plan to replace lead service lines identified during the LCRR process.
• Why are the water rates increasing?
• Many factors affect the cost of water (e. g., rising treatment costs, infrastructure failures due to delayed maintenance and aging assets, the increasing number of regulated contaminants, energy costs, cost of supplies, etc.);
• It is important to think of Water as a set of services, rather than a product.
• An increase in water rates helps to fund improved reliability in service.
• Our customers get a lot for their money and are paying for a reliable service, not just a product.