To the editor:
I want to change the discussion around Housatonic Waterworks (HWW). I have been a customer of HWW for more than 20 years. While I have experienced tea-colored water on occasion, my water has been fine for the last two years. When it is not the color of tea, the water is very good. I realize how crazy that sentence sounds, but I will explain.
For years, residents in Housatonic have experienced brown water seasonally when it is hot or when the company flushes the hydrants. The company said that it must be rusty pipes, and that became the narrative. The state, after years of anecdotal stories from HWW, required HWW to bring in professional help to conduct rigorous water chemistry tests. Only then did it become apparent that the discoloration was due to manganese in the source water. Manganese is slimy and apparently only becomes soluble in warm weather. A whole-system manganese filter was proposed and agreed to by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). Unfortunately, HWW has dragged their feet and put forth excuses to delay the mandatory installation of the manganese filter.
Housatonic Water Works’ source is Long Pond on Division Street, a 115-acre spring-fed great pond, about four times the size of Lake Mansfield. It is surrounded by a water shed of protected land. According to HWW Treasurer Jim Mercer, Long Pond has the capacity to pump five or six times as much water as is presently used. This is a tremendous resource that has the potential to secure the freshwater needs of the community for the future. HWW has had some operational challenges and more than a few stumbles. I believe that the water is safe and of good quality. The company is making an effort to upgrade their practices.
A merger or affiliation with the Great Barrington Fire District makes a lot of sense. HWW would bring a secure and reliable source of water and close to 900 paying customers. In exchange, HWW would benefit from being affiliated with a larger water company and be able to improve company management by taking advantage of that size. If HWW could be merged or operated as a separate municipal enterprise, it would be eligible for grants and loans restricted to public water providers.
In the short term, every effort should be made to bring the manganese filter online. This is a better solution than installing whole-house filters in every customer’s residence. I can understand the Fire District’s reluctance to take on what they perceive as only liabilities with HWW. However, a financial arrangement can be found to protect the Fire District rate payers while still allowing Housatonic residents to benefit. I urge the Selectboard to move forward and seek public ownership of HWW.
Fred Clark
Housatonic
Click here to read The Berkshire Edge’s policy for submitting Letters to the Editor.
