Great Barrington — A public hearing on a proposed rate increase by Housatonic Water Works will be held in late September, according to Town Manager Mark Pruhenski at the Monday, August 7 Selectboard meeting.
Back in late July, the long-troubled company announced that it had filed an application with the state’s Department of Public Utilities requesting a 112.7 percent overall revenue increase. According to a press release issued by the company, the request reflects a total $808,808 increase over the existing water rates. The company announced that the across-the-board increase will result in a monthly minimum service charge of $98.38 and a $23.24 charge per thousand gallons for all water usage over the 2,500-gallon monthly allowance. The annual cost of water service for the average residential customer would increase from $746.40 to $1,641.48.
Pruhenski said that the town plans on filing for intervenor status in the rate increase request case, which is listed as Docket 23-65 on the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs website. “[Filing for an intervenor status] will allow the Selectboard to advocate for residents through this upcoming process,” Pruhenski said. “The public hearing is in the process of being scheduled right now, and will most likely be held at the [Monument Mountain Regional High School] auditorium. We will share any meeting-related information very widely through our social media pages and on our website.”
As for the latest in the state’s process of reviewing the proposed rate increase, the state’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has requested that the company answer a set of questions by Friday, August 11. The DPU has asked the company for the current status of several projects, including an HAA5 chlorine residual testing project, its proposed manganese removal system project, and the company’s 10-year system improvement plan, among several other questions.
The DPU is also accepting public comments on the proposed rate increase via email at dpu.efiling@mass.gov. The department has already received multiple public comments about the proposed rate increase, including from resident and HWW customer Katie Williams. “The proposed rate increase will cause hardship for many HWW customers,” Williams wrote to the department. “Many residents of Housatonic are just trying to get by, and a 112 percent rate increase could make it so that they can’t afford other necessities such as food and child care. The rates for HWW are already higher than what most residents of Berkshire County pay for town-supplied water, plus we are already dealing with the ongoing issues concerning the safety and color of the water that HWW provides us.”
“This rate increase is absurd in light of the utter failure of this private company to provide adequate, healthy, drinkable water to its customers in Housatonic,” Gioacchino Taliercio wrote to the department. “As the DPU is surely aware, the company has failed to remedy the brown water that plagues hundreds of its customers and frequently issues letters documenting unhealthy amounts of toxic chemicals in the water, far exceeding state regulatory limits. That this poorly managed company should be allowed to more than double its rate is outrageous.”
As of Tuesday, August 8, the DPU has received 12 written public comments in the rate case.
Back at the Aug. 7 Selectboard meeting, residents expressed their concerns about fire hydrants that are part of the HWW system in light of a recent garage fire. The fire took place on July 27 at 69 Division Street. According to a press release issued by the Great Barrington Fire Department, at the fire scene, “a nearby hydrant was not a viable water source” during the fire. The department had to use two of its engines, along with tankers from Egremont, Monterey, and Sheffield, to fight the fire.
During the public comment portion of the August 7 meeting, resident Elizabeth Rockefeller said she is concerned about the fire hydrants on the HWW system. “Has the town made a plan since the fire to ensure that we have safe, adequate fire hydrants in Housatonic?” Rockefeller asked the Selectboard. “Or are we waiting for the company to do something or nothing? Now we have three major problems: dirty and smelly water, HAA5 cancer-causing agents in our water, and a lack of dependable water pressure in our hydrants to fight fires. I pray that the next fire won’t take a human life because of inadequate water pressure and Housatonic hydrants. I hope you take this seriously.”
Resident Michelle Loubert said that the July 27 fire took place right near her house. “I call the hydrant in front of my house ‘Barbie’s fire hydrant’ because it looks good, but it doesn’t work,” Loubert said. “I am concerned for my safety and the safety of the nearby neighbors. If I go home tonight and there’s a fire at my house, that fire hydrant is going to be a problem.”
Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon said that a plan concerning the fire hydrants “is being worked on” but did not give any specifics.
