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The Jackson Water Precinct consists of the village area bound to the south by the Bartlett town line, and to the west by Route16. The former Iron Mountain House property is included in the precinct, which goes up Green Hill Road to Michael Clemons’ house. Properties on both sides of Route16 north to Les Parker’s house are included in the precinct. Going around the village loop all of the golf course, and all of the properties on Mill Street are included. The precinct extends up Carter Notch Road to Warren Schomaker’s house, up Black Mountain Road to the Town Hall, up Thorn Mountain Road to the Jackson Water Precinct storage
tanks, up Thorn Hill Road to The Inn at Jackson, and finally all of Dinsmore Road, including the Nestlenook Property. A precinct boundary extension is expected during 2003 to accommodate the reconstruction of The Inn at Thorn Hill.
Residents outside of the Water District distribution area rely on individual or community wells for their water supply. There are some individual wells in use in the village area, while the precinct serves some users outside these bounds.
Surface water is taken from the Ellis River through an infiltration bed. Water treatment consists of coagulant addition, ceramic media filtration, disinfection, and lastly pH and alkalinity adjustment for corrosion control. Access to the water intake and filtration facility is from Green Hill Road.
Jackson Water Precinct was formed in 1972, after being purchased from the privately owned Jackson Water Company. The Selectmen at the time, Raymond H. Abbott, Jr., Rodney C. Charles, and John W. Keeney, and citizens within the newly established boundaries had the forethought to realize the importance of establishing a drinking water source that is under the immediate direction of those who use it. Article #1 of the first Jackson Water Precinct Warrant, “To see if the voters will vote to establish the area as a Village District under RSA:52, Revised Statues of New Hampshire for the purpose of the supply of water for domestic and fire purposes” was approved on August 29, 1972.
The necessary steps were taken, and the precinct has been run by a dedicated staff of elected officials to this day. The first elected officers in Jackson Water Precinct were Moderator Robert MacMannus, Clerk Flossie Gile, Treasurer Elizabeth Breen, and Commissioners Robert Freeman, John Butler, and Orman Meserve. Before a major system upgrade in 1982, Jackson Water Precinct had gone through very trying times, with shortcomings in the distribution’s mechanical integrity. Though there are many people who have served selflessly to the precinct, special thanks should be extended to Reggie Illsley for his many dedicated years of service to Jackson Water Precinct.
In 1999 there was a bond affirmed at Jackson Water Precinct’s 1999 Annual Meeting for major system improvements needed to satisfy the continuing increase in the demand on the system. A two-year feasibility study was undertaken to determine the most effective way to implement the precinct’s needed improvements. An upgraded infiltration bed, a new treatment facility, and business office were put into service in February 2003. Other system improvements include increased water storage, increased fire flow capacity, and mechanical power generation by use of the old Meserve Brook pipeline, utilizing a turbine system to pump the domestic water to the end user distribution system. These improvements will enable the Jackson Water Precinct to serve its existing members and to have the capacity for the
foreseeable future growth of the Jackson community.
In an effort to protect Jackson’s drinking water resource, the Jackson Water Precinct intends to undertake an educational awareness campaign of the importance of watershed protection at a local level. Additionally, because source water protection has been identified as paramount to Jackson Water Precinct’s ability to continue to provide safe high quality water, the precinct will sponsor a zoning overlay watershed district. This overlay district will encompass that property upgradient of Jackson Water Precinct’s intake. The intent of the ordinance will be to prevent any further deterioration of source water quality, while preserving, as much as possible, current activities within the watershed. Further, Jackson Water Precinct intends to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with the United States Forest Service. These initiatives are a proactive approach to the preservation of a continued water source for the Jackson community.
Though it is often taken for granted, potable, aesthetically pleasing drinking water, and adequate fire protection within the village district are very essential to the people of Jackson. It has been said that the aesthetic water quality leaves one of the most lasting impressions one might have of a community.
Precinct Statistics
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