Site work for a civil project in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

The development of a large groundwater well, as the City's primary water source, provides water system redundancy. Having a single water source places the City in a potentially vulnerable situation. However, it is noted that there are emergency interconnections available with the Towns of Hanover and Hartford if a water emergency were to occur. In fact, a water booster pump station and pressure reducing valve (PRV) bypass is under construction this year capable of pumping water to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Centerra water storage tank as well as back feeding the Town of Hanover's Greensboro Road pressure zone through a PRV during emergency or maintenance situations. This project began in 2001 when a second source water study was completed identifying several potential high-yield alternative groundwater sources. During this phase of the project, three locations along the Connecticut River were studied as potential alternative high-yield groundwater supply sites. Each site was evaluated by installing small diameter test wells and completing short-term pump tests. Of these three sites, one site showed potential yields that could serve all the City's drinking water needs well into the future. In 2021, the City Council appropriated $145,000 to evaluate the potential of the new groundwater well using Riverbank Infiltration Technology. In 2023, the City Council appropriated an additional $175,000 for the installation of a large groundwater production well, long term pump testing, water quality 2026-2031 Capital Improvement Program analysis, and installation of four nearby monitoring wells. The large groundwater production well is schedule to be installed this summer. The water quality analysis will allow NHDES to determine treatment that will be required as part of the permitting process. The proposed location of the large groundwater production well is at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Mascoma Rivers and within the FEMA regulated floodway. A meeting was held between DPW and FEMA to understand the required permitting for the wellhead. The wellhead area will be filled to raise the site to the 500-year elevation and to construct the access road. The fill pile will be armored with stone rip rap and the wellhead protected with concrete-filled steel bollards. The electrical panel will be remote, outside of the floodway, as well as any control building or treatment plant. The fill volume within the floodway will need to be offset by an excavated area expanding the floodplain to provide a compensatory storage volume. Compensatory storage will be required so that the City can complete a 'no rise' certificate to FEMA. Additionally, FEMA will require a Conditional Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (CLOMR-F) to remove the wellhead area from the floodway and a Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Study. In 2024, the City Council appropriated an additional $150,000 to complete topographic survey of the wellhead site and the compensatory storage volume area and the H&H study. a In 2025, the City Council appropriated an additional $1,440,000 to complete the permitting of the well with the NHDES. Once the well is permitted, the engineering design of the water treatment facility, booster pump station, and infrastructure to tie the water source into the existing Prospect Hill pressure zone can occur. In 2027, we will be requesting funding to purchase a property to locate the water treatment facility and construct the water treatment facility, booster pump station, and infrastructure The project is included in the City's 2026-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). As of January 12, 2026, further details have not yet been identified. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.