West Stockbridge — Select Board members are uniting their voices with those of neighboring Stockbridge and Great Barrington officials in a collaborative effort to provide residents with an amenity that many Berkshire citizens take for granted: clean water.
For some time now, utility company Housatonic Water Works (HWW)—that services its namesake town and surrounding communities—has struggled to deliver clear, crisp drinking water to its customers. According to recent reports, the issue stems from excessive manganese levels in its Long Pond supply source.
Amid a proposal by HWW to severely increase fees by 90 percent over a five-year span, a July 2024 plan approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) balances the company implementing five phases of rate hikes with its duty to provide a manganese filter system as well as an interconnection with the Great Barrington Fire District, a new water storage tank, and a main replacement.
On October 8, an order promulgated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) required the business to construct the filtration upgrades, and the project plans were approved December 13. The agency gave HWW 90 days from its approval, or by March 13, to start the upgrade.
In January, however, the company announced it was delaying the project, citing concerns over financing the project that prevented it from meeting the March 13 deadline. As a result, Stockbridge officials filed a motion with the DPU on February 5 to roll back the planned rate hikes and investigate why the company is failing to comply with action it had been ordered to carry out. Great Barrington officials followed suit on February 14, joining Stockbridge in its efforts.
During the West Stockbridge Select Board’s March 3 meeting, Chair Andrew Potter announced that the town’s counsel had filed a document earlier that day in connection with Stockbridge and Great Barrington’s efforts to “enforce the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Order [on the Joint Motion] to Approve Settlement Agreement with Housatonic Water Works.”
At the meeting and pursuant to a March 3 news release, Potter stated that “the continued delay by [HWW] leaves our residents with no choice but to pay for discolored, non-potable water at significantly increased rates.” “Our action today is to stand with Stockbridge in demanding enforcement of the settlement agreement to ensure that residents receive safe and affordable drinking water,” Potter said.
Select Board member Andrew Krouss echoed, “agreed.”
According to the news release, the town is “also requesting that the [DPU] engage with DEP to address the ongoing water quality crisis and investigate HWW’s efforts—or lack thereof—to secure financing and comply with the terms of the agreement.”
“West Stockbridge remains committed to advocating for its residents and holding [HWW] accountable for its obligations,” the release concludes.
A copy of the news release can be found here.
