GREAT BARRINGTON — Facing intense pressure from ratepayers and town officials, the embattled Housatonic Water Works (HWW) has come up with a plan to address its rusty-colored water and insufficient pressure for fire hydrants in the Housatonic section of Great Barrington.
HWW treasurer Jim Mercer said in a statement on Friday, Nov. 12, that the water utility has reached what he called “important milestones in the company’s efforts to eliminate the colored water episodes that have occurred, and to ensure adequate fire flows at all times.”
Back in March, Mercer announced that HWW, which serves 850 customers in Housatonic and small adjoining portions of Stockbridge and West Stockbridge, had submitted a feasibility study conducted by Lenard Engineering Inc. to evaluate technologies for removing a stubborn mineral that has been causing roily and discolored water.
The company had determined that the culprit was not rusty iron water mains, as was presumed, but abnormally high levels of manganese in treated water coming from Long Pond, the company’s nearby reservoir. Manganese is a naturally occurring chemical element found in minerals such as iron.
HWW submitted a proposed preliminary pilot study test plan on March 26, 2020, to the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) — the two state agencies with regulatory authority over private water companies in Massachusetts.
But according to Brian D. Harrington, deputy regional director for the...
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