Residents press city on water bills and lead‑testing notice; manager says no contamination

Several Portsmouth residents used the July 14 public comment period to raise questions about water billing and a recent mailed notice referencing lead testing.

Steve Carroll presented a year‑long billing record showing repetitive monthly charges and said his household — two people — was paying well over $100 monthly; he asked whether remote meter reading, billing algorithms, or reporting errors could be causing apparent overbilling. Carroll also pointed to press reports of a large industrial customer seeking hundreds of millions of gallons and asked whether billing anomalies could unfairly shift costs.

Sheila Joseph and other residents described duplicate bills received within the same month and confusion around when bills are posted and collected. Joseph asked for clarity on HRSD charges and how the transition to new billing software has affected statement detail.

City Manager Steven Carter responded that there is no current lead contamination in the water. He said the mailed notice about lead testing reflects a state regulatory notification requirement tied to a testing schedule; the city must provide the notice because it was late in providing certain tests, even though subsequent testing showed no contamination. On billing, Carter explained that the city's billing is tiered rather than billed strictly per gallon; as long as usage remains within the same tier, monthly charges can appear similar month to month. Carter said the administration will provide the letter received by residents and talking points to council so members can respond to constituents.

Council asked staff to supply the notice and clarifying information to council and the public; staff agreed.