Water Source
Penacook Lake
Penacook Lake is the primary water source for the Concord community. The lake was formed in 1872 when Long Pond and Forge Pond were combined. The City of Concord maintains the lake and owns the surrounding land. All recreational activity has been prohibited since 1951, allowing Concord to be the leader in New Hampshire for source water protection. It is the only lake in New Hampshire that prohibits access to provide a barrier of protection for Concord’s water consumers. The quality of the raw water has classified the lake as a “Class A” body of water. Class A is the highest quality designated for waters considered as acceptable for water supply use after adequate treatment. During dry periods, the lake is supplemented with water from our Contoocook River Pump Station.
Contoocook River Pump Station
When lake levels are low at Penacook Lake, water is pumped from the Contoocook River to supplement our water supply. The Contoocook River Pump Station has a production capacity of 7.5 million gallons of water a day (MGD).
Pembroke Well Field
A ground water well field adjacent to the Soucook River in Pembroke is maintained as an emergency water source. It has a production capacity of 1 million gallons of water a day (MGD). This well field has four individual wells that produce up to 700 gallons per minute, or 1 MGD, combined. The primary purpose of this field is to provide service to Concord water consumers if there were a significant increase in usage, requiring more water than the Water Treatment Plant could produce.
Our community’s water supply is sustained through our 368 acre water source, Penacook Lake, and supplemented when necessary with our Contoocook River Pump Station and Pembroke Well Field. Lake levels are monitored regularly to ensure adequate supply. The City of Concord is committed to protecting this water supply source to the fullest extent to last for future generations. Learn how you can help conserve water and protect our water resource by visiting our water conservation page.