Housatonic — After closing the petition campaign at the end of May 2022, the Residents for Safe Water sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker. It was accompanied by 1,200 signed petitions gathered at many venues in Housatonic, Great Barrington and online. The petition provided a shortened version asking for help to transfer private ownership of Housatonic WaterWorks (HWW) in the village of Housatonic to the Town of Great Barrington, under which Housatonic is governed.
Acknowledgements of the letter have been received by many recipients, including Gov. Charlie Baker’s office, the attorney general’s office and the Department of Public Utilities. The letter’s addressees included senators and representatives to the federal and state Legislatures, town governments including the Selectboards and Health Boards of the three towns that HWW serves: Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge.
Benjamin Stone, the Massachusetts Housing Authority Director for the Division of Public Housing, also received the letter because the group has jurisdiction over the Flag Rock Complex in Housatonic. The complex contains 18 family apartments and 32 senior units in Housatonic also managed locally by the Great Barrington Housing Authority (GBHA).
Residents receive their water from HWW, and Jim Mercer, co-owner of HWW, served as chair of GBHA until recently. He, and two other board members of GBHA, resigned following complaints by Marlene Koloski, president of the Tenant’s Association, who tried to post warnings to the tenants of the presence of Halocetic Acid 5 (HAA5) that had exceeded maximum contaminant level (MCL). The warnings were removed by an unknown agent.
HAA5 is a long-term cancer-causing element that was cited by the state Department of Environmental Protection as being in Housatonic Water Work’s water for several quarters beginning the third quarter of 2021, but not reported until 2022. Many people reported HWW’s involvement on the GBHA Board constituted a conflict of interest.
Further questions can also be directed to: ResidentsForSafeWater@gmail.com or Residents for Safe Water, P.O. Box 583, Housatonic, MA 01236
