Water damage restoration in Nashua

Dunstable, the settlement that became Nashua, was settled about 1654 where the Nashua meets the Merrimack. ^[1] Salmon Brook and Pennichuck Brook also drain the city. ^[1] That leaves many low spots near water, while other parts rise well above it. Check the official flood map for your address and do not rely on what the neighbors remember.

Rain and snowmelt are the common triggers. In May 2006, heavy rain brought flooding throughout the region, ^[2] and storms in July 2023 led to a federal disaster declaration for New Hampshire. ^[3] Even without a named event, rapid thaw on frozen ground can fill a cellar. See flooded basement cleanup.

Downtown's Tree Streets neighborhood and French Hill have many older homes, reflecting the mills that drew workers from about 1823 onward. ^[1] Expect stone or brick foundations, old plumbing and multi-family layouts. Lead paint may be present in homes built before 1978. ^[4]

Further from downtown, newer suburban subdivisions and those near the Massachusetts border are more likely to have poured foundations, sump pits and finished basements. A sump failure may cause more damage there, because the space below grade holds carpet, drywall and belongings.

Nashua has its own city government. Hudson, Merrimack and other nearby towns on the coverage list have their own offices, so confirm where your address falls before major repairs.

Upstream along the Merrimack is Manchester. Further north is Concord.

Salmon Brook, a Merrimack tributary, drains part of the city, and Pennichuck Brook forms its northern boundary. ^[1] Homes that are nowhere near the main rivers may still back onto one of these smaller waterways or the wetlands around them. Smaller streams react faster to a thunderstorm than a big river does, so a yard can flood with little warning and then drain the next day, and a cellar may stay wet well after the water outside has gone.

Ask neighbors whether their properties have taken on water in the past, and read official flood maps for your address. If you have a stream or wetland behind your lot, keep culverts and grates clear where it is safe and allowed. Do not place stored items, a furnace or anything valuable on a cellar floor. Nashua's average of 48.19 inches of precipitation ^[1] gives plenty of chances for a low lot to show its limits.

The Nashua Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1823, grew to four mills and about 1,000 employees, and Jackson Manufacturing followed in 1824. ^[1] Workers' housing grew up nearby, and neighborhoods such as the Tree Streets and French Hill still reflect it. ^[1] Such areas have a lot of older multi-family homes with stone or brick foundations and plumbing added in stages over many years.

Water in those buildings often raises more than one question. Lead paint and old insulation may be present, ^{[4] [6]} and old fuse panels can sit in damp cellars. Tell the contractor about the age of the building and how many households share it. Downtown's Main Street is the oldest commercial district, ^[1] so apartments above shops are common, and a leak upstairs may affect a business below. Tell the shop owner as soon as you know.

Away from downtown, the Amherst Street corridor and South Nashua near the Massachusetts line are largely commercial, ^[1] with residential neighborhoods behind them. Many homes there are newer and have poured foundations, sump pits and finished lower levels. These homes usually stay drier than old stone cellars, right up to the moment a pump fails or a crack lets water through, when a much larger area of finished material can get wet.

If your lower level is finished, test the pump before spring and keep a backup plan for outages. See sump pump failure cleanup. Water heaters and laundry units in finished spaces should have drain pans and leak alarms, since they can run unnoticed for hours. Water in carpet and walls down there behaves as described on the structural drying page, and quick action makes a real difference to what can be kept.

The Merrimack River separates Nashua from Hudson, and the town of Merrimack lies just to the north. All appear on the coverage list, along with Milford, Salem, Derry and Londonderry. Each has its own town offices and sewer or septic arrangements. A home in a rural part of one of these towns is more likely to be on a private well and septic system, which adds its own questions after a flood or backup.

Tell the contractor your town and whether you are on city sewer or septic. It changes who to call first when dark water appears at a drain, and whether drinking water needs testing after high water. If a well was flooded, do not drink from it until it has been tested. Your town's health officer can tell you how to go about that.

Back to all of New Hampshire. Nearby pages: Concord, Keene, Laconia, Lebanon and Hanover, Manchester, Portsmouth.

Related help for Nashua: water extraction, structural drying, sewage backup cleanup, fire damage restoration and smoke damage cleanup. First time dealing with this? Read the first hours after water damage.