City of Portsmouth secures 44-acre conservation easement to protect Bellamy Reservoir Water Supply

PORTSMOUTH–The City of Portsmouth, NH increases the protection of its surface water supply by conserving lands surrounding the Bellamy Reservoir. The City’s Department of Public Works Water Division has partnered with Southeast Land Trust of NH (SELT) to purchase a conservation easement on 44.6 acres owned by Jodi Fernald, adjacent to the reservoir. The transaction closed on June 4, 2025.

This conservation easement complements others adjacent to the Bellamy Reservoir, including 72 acres, secured in 2018, on property owned by David Olson, and 107 acres, secured in 2020, on property owned by Mary-Ellen Duffy. All of these easements were obtained through the combined efforts of the City, SELT, and the Town of Madbury, which coordinated due diligence activities and prepared the easement documents. The combined efforts allowed the City to apply for and receive a $739,000 grant from the New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund and $25,000 from the NH Department of Environmental Services Local Source Water Protection program.

The City is also awaiting approval of the request by US Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH) for $714,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending which is being administered through the US Environmental Protection Agency. In the interim, the Portsmouth City Council authorized the use of funds from the City’s Water Enterprise Fund to complete the purchase of the Fernald easement.

The protection of the Bellamy Reservoir is a high priority for the City of Portsmouth because it is the primary supply of fresh drinking water delivered to Portsmouth Water System customers around the seacoast after its treatment at the City’s Madbury Water Treatment Facility. Conserving land that abuts or includes wetlands, rivers, streams, and larger bodies of water like the Reservoir protects water resources from the risk of contamination from development and helps the Portsmouth Water System provide high-quality drinking water.

“As a result of Jodi Fernald’s desire to protect her property from development forever, and with the City Council’s support, the City has increased our protection of the Bellamy Reservoir water quality through this conservation easement,” said Al Pratt, Water Resource manager for the City of Portsmouth. “SELT greatly assisted the City through this transaction. The conservation easement on Ms. Fernald’s property is another important step toward the continued long-term protection of the Bellamy Reservoir to ensure the quality of the drinking water supply for Portsmouth and the other communities served by the Portsmouth Water Division.”

Duane Hyde, Land Conservation director for SELT commented, “With nearly a mile of frontage along the Bellamy Reservoir, it is an amazing accomplishment to conserve the Fernald property for not only the people that benefit from the drinking water and scenic beauty the Reservoir provides, but also the wildlife that depend on these lands and water.”