About 80 percent of the mains are over 100 years old.īecause the water works is a private company, government grants aren't available, according to Mercer, who co-owns the company with his father, Frederick Mercer. Housatonic Water Works serves 840 customers with water from the Long Pond Reservoir, pumped through lines that date to the 1880s, when they served the mills. Those expenses come on top of their approximately $50-per-month water bill, they say. He and his wife, Beverly Nourse, are buying bottled water for drinking and cooking - that costs about $22 per month. Soto said a Sears double filtration filter that lasts two years costs $40 a pop, and he has to buy four per year. "We're going through filters like it's going out of style," said Alan Soto of Linda Lane.
Many are buying bottled water by the case and lots of filters - all while continuing to pay their monthly water bill. Some say the rust is staining their toilets and has, over the years, corroded their faucets. They don't want to drink it, cook with it, bathe in it, or do laundry with it. Like Wright, water customers also cite costs and harm to their property values. "We had really dirty water leading up to this," she said of the most recent spell of system turbulence. While the water appeared to be much clearer Thursday, as observed by The Eagle, Wright said water color has been a long-standing problem since she moved here 13 years ago. Jane Wright of Park Street, holding up two specimens of rusty water she collected Monday, said she is spending about $100 a month on spring water and her monthly water bill combined.
Rust is classified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as a "nuisance chemical," for which a fix is optional.īut some residents still don't trust the water, even out of a filter, and are buying bottled water instead. Rust that flakes off from inside water mains is not considered a health threat.
"We don't have regulatory oversight of the water system, but we've done the best we can do to advocate for our community." "These issues haven't been ignored," Tabakin said. Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin said the town is having conversations with its own Department of Health, the state Department of Public Utilities and the water works to deal with the problem and make sure the water remains safe. The company will post those results and other information on its website. The DEP, which sent two engineers to town Thursday to investigate the issue, has ordered tests every other week.
#BERKSHIRE EDGE HOUSATONIC MAN FALLS FROM WATER TOWER FREE#
The DEP conducted another test Monday and found the water free of bacteria and in compliance with state standards, Mercer said. The water might not look safe to drink, but it is, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
What made sediment levels even worse this week was a system flush that ended Tuesday, churning up more sediment before washing it out, Mercer said. The company serves water customers in the area. Warmer water and a state-mandated increase in chlorine added as a disinfectant increase oxidation and worsen the corrosion that pulls rust out of the pipes, according to James Mercer, treasurer and co-owner of Housatonic Water Works.
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