The Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) released a notice to customers today suggesting they carefully examine a mail solicitation from a third-party insurance company which has been hitting mailboxes in town.

If you're in Portsmouth, you'll want to take a look at this PDF.

The Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) will be doing water main work on Bristol Ferry and Terminal Road in Portsmouth tomorrow, November 22, according to a release from the district.

Two lanes of Bristol Ferry Road will be closed for the work from 7am to 7pm, with north and south bound traffic reduced to one lane in each direction, and additional congestion possible due to construction vehicles entering and leaving the area. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

The Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) will be doing water main work in the area of Bristol Ferry and Terminal Road on Monday, Oct 31 and Tuesday Nov 1 from 7am to 7pm, according to a release.

Two lanes of Bristol Ferry Road will be closed, with north and southbound traffic reduced to one lane in each direction, and the possibility of additional backups from construction vehicles in the area. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes.

According to PWFD, the schedule is subject to weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

Residents in the Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) may see discoloration and reduced water pressure over the next week as a required flushing process clears out the water mains in town, the PWFD advised in a notice to local media. Beginning tonight, those in the affected areas should avoid washing clothes or drawing from hot water tanks until any discoloration is cleared, said the PWFD.

The flushing will occur from 8pm to 4am, and water should be clear by mid-day. Here's the schedule:

Tonight, Oct 11: Willow Lane and Sprague Street, Bristol Ferry Road to Camara Drive and Mitchell Road, and side streets.

Tomorrow, Oct 12: Bristol Ferry Road from Cherokee Drive to Bayview Avenue, Boyds Lane to East Main Road and side streets. East Main Road from Sprague Street and Child Street to Boyds Lane and side streets, including Viking Drive area.

Thursday, Oct 13: Island Park and Hummocks Point areas. (Whee, no laundry on Thursday nite!)

Tuesday, Oct 18: Sprague Street to Freeborn Street,Turnpike Avenue and side streets; West Main Road from Statue Way to Sprague Street and side streets.

Wednesday, Oct 19: East Main Road fromChild Street to Clements and Aquidneck Place and side streets to SakonnetRiver. Also Common Fence Point.

Thursday, Oct 20 : Common Fence Point.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

The Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) announced today that it has contracted with the Emergency Communications Network (ECN) to provide rapid phone notification of outages or other emergencies to targeted areas or every customer in the water system, and you'll want to check your information before a test this Friday.

Philip Driscoll, Chair of the PWFD Administrative Board, cautioned that phone notification systems are only as good as the database supporting them. The district selected ECN's "CodeRED" system because it allows individuals and businesses to add their own phone numbers directly into the system's database.

"No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included,” said Driscoll, who urged all individuals and businesses to log onto the Portsmouth Water and Fire District web site at www.portsmouthwater.org and click on the "CodeRED” logo to register phone numbers and email addresses.

According to Portsmouth Patch, Terri Cortvriend and Phil Driscoll both swept the Portsmouth Water and Fire District voting with greater than 70% majorities.

Cortvriend was elected as Water Commissioner, and Driscoll re-elected as clerk.

In a Facebook post, Cortvriend expressed gratitude at the turnout. "Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the Portsmouth water board election," she said.

I will confess to a certain amount of satisfaction at seeing Terri wallop McIntyre, whose write-in campaign won him less than 100 votes. (In defense of my unseemly schadenfreude, see here and here.)

A big thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to stop by and vote. Thanks!

Full disclosure: YAAAAAAY!

Tomorrow, June 8, residents who live in the Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) will go to polls to elect a Water Commissioner and a Clerk, and I urge you take a few minutes to stop by and vote for Terri Cortvriend and Phil Driscoll.

Elections are held at the PWFD office at 1944 East Main Road; polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.

Phil Driscoll has served on the Board for years, is thoroughly knowledgeable, and is a straight shooter. I have not always agreed with him on every issue, but I support him without reservation.

Terri Cortvriend has served on the School Committee, and ran for Town Council in 2010. She is a local business owner who is deeply committed to our community and always has the best interests of her constituents in mind.

With total turnout that usually numbers less than 500, every vote counts, and this is one race where write-ins can actually win (the PWFD saw a write-in candidate win election back in the 1990s.) Maybe you've heard rumors about a write-in campaign by former Town Councilor Peter McIntyre.

I've also heard that Allen Shers is seeking write-in votes, and if Terri weren't running, I'd be happy to support him.

But Pete McIntyre? Really?

Take ten minutes and pop by to vote.

Full disclosure: Terri Cortvriend is a member of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee, of which I am an officer.

On Wednesday, June 8, residents who live in the Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) will go to polls to elect a Water Commissioner and a Clerk, and I urge you to vote for Terri Cortvriend and Phil Driscoll. Every vote will count — sources familiar with the process have indicated that a write-in campaign by a former Council member is being conducted under the radar.

Elections are held at the PWFD office at 1944 East Main Road next Wednesday, June 8; polls open at 7am and close at 9pm.

With total turnout that numbers less than 500, every vote counts (and this is one race where write-ins can actually win; the PWFD actually had a successful write-in candidate back in the 1990s.)

Phil Driscoll has served on the Board for years, is thoroughly knowledgeable, and is a straight shooter. I have not always agreed with him on every issue, but I support him without reservation.

Terri Cortvriend has served on the School Committee and ran for Town Council in 2010. She is a local business owner who is deeply committed to our community and always has the best interests of her constituents in mind.

Full disclosure: Terri Cortvriend is a member of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee, of which I am an officer.

On Friday, Dec. 3, beginning at 7am, the Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) will be working for one day in the area of Boyd Lane and Anthony Road, with alternating one-lane operation on Anthony and narrowed lanes on Boyd, according to a statement. Motorists were advised that traffic may be "slowed and occasionally backed up during this work time period, particularly during morning and evening commuting hours."

Sounds like a good idea to seek alternate routes.

Full disclosure: Written substantially from a press release.

You might have noticed a slight off taste in your tap water over the past week, but the Portsmouth Water and Fire District (PWFD) has identified the issue and determined it poses no health risk, officials said in a release. The source of the musty or earthy taste, the District said, was algae or other natural growth in the Lawton reservoir and St. Mary's Pond. Although the plant material is removed during treatment, the taste and odor can remain.

PWFD general manager William McGlinn said that despite the taste and odor, the water is safe for drinking and all other uses, and is routinely tested to Department of Health water quality standards. McGlinn indicated that earthy, musty taste and odor problems in the island’s treated water are not uncommon in August and September, particularly during unusually hot, dry summers. McGlinn noted that the taste and odor problem is noticeably more intense this year, which is prompting complaints from customers that normally do not notice the problem.

Newport Water (which supplies PWFD) began the process of switching to a different water source last week to help eliminate the taste and odor problem. Water from the Watson Reservoir in Little Compton is now being treated and supplied as of last Friday. Although the District continued to receive taste and odor complaints as of Monday afternoon, the intensity of the problem appears to be lessening and should continue to improve during the week as the existing water in the storage tanks and piping system is used up by customer demand.

McGlinn suggested that chilling the water in an open container in the refrigerator will help improve the taste and odor. Although the District does not generally recommend water filters, some customers have indicated that pitchers with charcoal filters have also helped to reduce the taste and odor. Although there is nothing the District can do to eliminate this problem in the treated water, McGlinn said that the District apologies to its customers for this temporary, seasonal inconvenience.

Editorial note: Substantially from a press release.