At the request of more than 450 residents who recently signed a petition, North Hampton will hold a deliberative session of a special town meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 to consider the takeover of Aquarion Water Company’s assets in the town. The voting portion of the meeting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The outcome will determine only whether residents want to consider the feasibility of the plan.

Aquarion provides water to roughly 70 percent of the town’s households and has 8,000 total customers in Hampton, North Hampton and Rye. Senior Vice President of Aquarion, Larry Bingaman, told the Atlantic News that the company is not for sale.
The petition was originated by Henry Fuller, chairman of the Water Commission, who told the Atlantic News that its important for the town to control its own resources. “You cannot live without water,” he said. “We drink it and clean with it. It’s the most important thing in the world.”

According to the report, Aquarion is owned by a British-based company, but is in the process of being sold to an Australian banking firm. The transaction must be approved by the N.H. Public Utilities Commission, according to the report.