GB Asks HWW to Pay for Bottled Water, Filtration, for Customers Facing Water Quality Issues

The town has requested that Housatonic Water Works cover the cost of bottled water for some of its customers who are experiencing persistent water quality problems, or reimburse customers for those costs.

The company could either provide bottled water or reimburse customers who are paying that cost themselves, says the letter, which was authorized by the Selectboard and signed by Town Manager Mark Pruhenski.

He also asks that HWW provide filtration to impacted customers.

“We believe this would bring short-term relief to impacted customers, mainly in the Housatonic Village, who have had to purchase bottled water or install filtration systems in their homes due to water quality issues,” said Mark Pruhenski.

The company is privately owned and serves about 800 customers mostly north of Division Street and in the Housatonic Village area. 

The town is working on several fronts to help explore solutions to long-standing water quality issues impacting some of the HWW customers. More information about this process and the town's efforts can be found on the town website. Because HWW is privately owned, solutions to the water quality problems lie with the owner. The business is regulated by the state Department of Public Utilities and Department of Environmental Protection.

The Selectboard asks for a response from HWW by May 31.