March 22, 2020 is World Water Day, a United Nations initiative to celebrate water and advocate for sustainable management of resources. The City of Concord invites the community to get involved by learning more about wastewater. Wastewater is used water. It’s the water after you wash your hands, brush your teeth, take a shower, do laundry, wash dishes, or flush the toilet. What happens to this water after it is used? Where does it go? For developing countries and low-income areas, wastewater is often directly discharged into the closest surface water drain with very little to no treatment. Approximately 80% of wastewater worldwide flows back into nature without being treated or reused. For Concord, wastewater is collected through the City’s sanitary sewer collection system and transported to one of our wastewater treatment facilities. Approximately 4.3 million gallons of wastewater are processed every day in Concord to protect public health and the local environment. The reclaimed water is properly disinfected, tested regularly for quality standards, and recovered safely back into the Merrimack River. The City’s investments in sustainable wastewater management, including building our treatment facilities in 1973 and 1979, have since improved the quality of the Merrimack River. Learn more about Concord’s wastewater treatment by visiting www.concordnh.gov/wastewater.
Wastewater Treatment Facility Open House
In celebration of World Water Day, Concord General Services invites residents to attend an open house of the City’s Hall Street Wastewater Treatment Facility on Monday, March 23rd. Visit the administration building at 125 Hall Street any time between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. for a facility tour and a walk-through of the treatment process. Attendees should be advised that odor emissions may be present due to natural treatment processes, but odor conditions have improved significantly over the years through previous facility improvements. For any questions about the open house, please send an email to generalservices@concordnh.gov. We hope to see you there!