Hooksett Village Water Precinct honored for water taste; precinct outlines 10‑year infrastructure work

The Hooksett Town Council recognized the Hooksett Village Water Precinct Feb. 12 after the precinct placed second in a national water taste contest.

Todd Smith, chair of the Hooksett Village Water Precinct, told the council the recognition capped a roughly 10‑year effort to overhaul the precinct's infrastructure, including a capital improvement plan, replacement of mains, construction of two new tanks and updates to staffing and rate schedules. "It's a culmination of 10 years of work," Smith said. He told the council the precinct pursued independence rather than joining a neighboring system and accomplished upgrades without raising local taxes by adjusting fee structures.

Commissioner Jim O'Brien and others from the precinct joined Smith for the presentation. Smith said the precinct is testing two possible new groundwater source sites; if either proves viable, the precinct would gain additional capacity to serve development across the river and planned projects related to the town's tax increment financing area. "If we can score those 2 sites and get those 2 wells in, it's incredible amount of water that we'd be able to service far more folks with," Smith said.

Council members thanked the precinct for the work and encouraged future updates as testing and planned expansions proceed.