♪ >> AS YOU SAW LAST NIGHT, THE
BERKSHIRES TOWN OF GREAT BARRINGTON IS GEARING UP FOR A
BAN ON PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES.
MEANWHILE, MANY RESIDENTS NEARBY IN THE VILLAGE OF HOUSATONIC
CONTINUE TO WRESTLE WITH WATER ISSUES OF THEIR OWN.
BECAUSE THE VILLAGE IS IN A DIFFERENT WATER DISTRICT THAN
GREAT BARRINGTON, THEY GET WATER FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE -- AND
BY THE TIME IT MAKES IT OUT OF THE FAUCET, IT'S NOT WHAT SOME
PEOPLE ARE HOPING FOR.
BRIAN SULLIVAN BRINGS US PART TWO OF HIS STORY OF WATER
CONCERNS IN GREAT BARRINGTON.
>> NESTLED AWAY IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF GREAT BARRINGTON IS
THE VILLAGE TOF THE RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH IT.
HERE THE RIVER SITS AS A FRONT AND CENTER FOCAL POINT.
HALLOOED OUT BRICK BUILDINGS LINE THIS INDUSTRIAL HUB WHERE
OF WHAT IT USED TO BE.
IF THE CULTURAL DOWNTOWN IS THE EPICENTER THEN THIS COMMUNITY IS
THE TOWN FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN.
BUT WHERE THE TO SECTIONS OF THIS TWO MASSACHUSETTS HAMLET
DIFFER ECONOMICALLY THEY MATCH UP IN CHARM AND BEAUTY.
THIS OLD PAPER MILL BUILT IN 1873 STILL STANDS TRUE ALBEIT
WITH FAR FEWER WORKERS INSIDE TODAY.
THE VILLAGE CENTER LOOKS LIKE THE INSPIRATION FOR A NORMAN
ROCKWELL PAINTING AND PROBABLY WAS.
THERE'S EVEN A WORLD CLASS BAKERY THAT SOMEHOW MANAGES TO
ELUDE THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT HERE.
ONE DIFFERENCE THAT CAN'T BE OVERLOOKED BY THE RESIDENTS IS
IN THE QUALITY OF THE WATER, NOT FROM THE RIVER BUT FROM THE
FAUCET.
GREAT BARRINGTON CENTER AND ITS SURROUNDING AREA IS PART OF
WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE FIRE DISTRICT.
THEY GET THEIR WATER FROM THE GREEN RIVER WHICH SERVICES
ROUGHLY 40000 RESIDENTS.
THEIR WATER IS CONSISTENTLY CLEAN, CLEAR AND TOTABLE.
THE WATER FOR THIS VILLAGE IS PROVIDED BY A PRIVATE COMPANY
WHO DECLINED OUR REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW.
THEY GET THEIR WATER FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE AND SERVICE FAR
FEWER HOUSEHOLDS.
>> THE VILLAGE WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED BASICALLY TO
HOUSES THE WORKERS IN THE MILLS AND IS VERY BLUE COLLAR, THEY
SIMPLY SIPHONED WATER FROM A POND NEARBY AND THROUGH THE
YEARS THEY PUT A LOT OF STANDARDS IN FOR THE LEVEL OF
CLEANLINESS TO THE WATER BUT THE SYSTEM ITSELF -- CHUNKS OF IT
ARE NEARI NEARING THE 200 YEARS.
>> WHEN PIPES AND WATER MAINS NEED TO BE REPLACED IN THE FIRE
DISTRICT THEY GOT THE BUDGET TO DO IT.
FOR THIS VILLAGE TO OFFSET COSTS TO UPGRADE FOR THEIR WATER
MAINS, THE CO-OWNER JIM MERCER IMPOSED SOME RESTRICTIONS.
>> THE FIRST TIME MR.
MERCER WENT TO GET THE INCREASES YOU
HAVE TO UPGRADE A FEW THINGS AND HE DID 3 OR 4 IN A LIST OF 10
AND HE SAID THERE WAS NO MORE MONEY.
>> TO ENSURE HIS HOME HAS TOTABLE WALTER ON A DAILY BASIS
HE USES A FILTER ON THE MAIN WATER PIPE IN HIS BASEMENT.
THIS IS HOW THEY LOOKED BEFORE BEING ATTACHED.
THIS ONE HERE HAD ONLY BEEN IN USE FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS.
NORMALLY THEY GET CHANGED 2 TO 4 FINALS A YEAR.
THERE HAS BEEN ONE RECENT UPGRADE TO THE WATER MAIN BY THE
STORE IN THE VILLAGE CENTER BUT JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
BRIDGE ARE MANY OF THE ORIGINAL WATER MAIN PIPES WHICH ARE OVER
140 YEARS OLD.
THOSE OLD PIPES NATURALLY CARRY A LOT OF RUST WITH THEM WHICH
ONLY BECOMES WORSE WHEN THEY RUN CHLORINE TO CLEAN THEM OUT.
>> WHENEVER THERE'S A LOT OF RAINFALL OR ANY SORT OF OTHER
ISSUE TO DEAL THIS, THEY JUST INCREASE THE CHLORINE IN THE
WATER WHICH IS HOW THE STATE RECOMMENDS THEY DEAL WITH IT.
BUT IT CAUSES MORE OF THE RUST TO COME OFF THE PIPES AND BE
PRESENT IN THE WATER MAKING IT BROWN AND SLUDGY.
>> EVENTUALLY THE CHLORINE DOES ITS JOB AND CLEANS THE RUST BUT
THE END RESULT ISN'T ALWAYS DESIRABLE.
>> YOU CAN BE NATH SHOWER FOR A BRIEF TIME AND GET OUT AND YOUR
EYES ARE RED AS IF YOU'VE BEEN SWIMMING FOR AN HOUR IN A
CHLORINATED POOL.
>> SINCE MOVING TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN 2005, JANE
WRIGHT HAS BEEN WRESTLING WITH THESE ISSUES OFF AND ON YEAR IN
AND YEAR OUT.
IT'S RECENTLY REACHED ITS TIPPING POINT.
>> I DON'T THINK MOST PEOPLE -- THIS IS THE WATER
AFTER YOU -- I LET IT RUN ON THE DAY THAT IT WAS REALLY HORRIBLE,
WHICH IS THIS DAY.
YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF PARTICLES IN IT AND IT'S RUST AND OTHER
METALS.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE SAFE TO DRINK IF YOU WERE DESPERATE BUT
I THINK WE HAVE TO TRUST OUR INSTINCTS AND NOT DRINK THE
WATER WHEN IT LOOKS THIS WAY AND IT OFTEN LOOKS YELLOW.
>> AS OF AUGUST 10th, 2018, THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION INTERVENED AND ISSUED A
UNILATERAL ADMINISTRATIVE WATER TO THE WATER WORKS FOR THEM TO
COMPLY OR FACE PENALTIES.
IN THE MEANTIME, JANE WRIGHT JOINED DOZENS OF HER NEIGHBORS
IN GETTING BOTTLED WATER DELIVERED.
>> FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THE DAY THAT THEY DELIVERED MY WATER
BOTTLE, THEY WERE DELIVERING AT LEAST 50 OTHER BOTTLES AROUND
TOWN IN THE VILLAGE.
SO I AM SURE THERE'S AN EVEN GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE HERE
WHO HAVE BOTTLED WATER DISPENSERS.
>> OF COURSE, THAT'S BEEN GOOD FOR AT LEAST ONE LOCAL BUSINESS
BUT IT'S ONE MORE COST INCURRED ON TOP OF AN ALREADY INCREASED
WATER BILL.
ONE COST-CUTTING MATTER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE WHO HAS
WATER DISPENSERS IN THEIR OFFICE WOULD COME TO A FRESHWATER
SPRING IN THE TOWN OF BECKETT AS SCENIC AS THE DRIVE IS TO GET
HERE IT'S AT LEAST A HALF HOUR TRIP ONE WAY AND WHILE THAT
MIGHT BE OKAY FOR SOME, THE FOLKS IN THE VILLAGE ARE LIKELY
HOPING FOR A MORE PRACTICAL SOLUTION.
>> I THINK WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT WATER AND OUR ENVIRONMENT
AND THAT'S ESSENTIAL.
WATER IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE, SO I THINK THAT'S
WHERE I AM.
I WANT TO SEE SOMETHING POSITIVE COME OUT OF THIS.
WE'VE ALL COMPLAINED FOR YEARS TO EACH OTHER, TO THE WATER
COMPANY, TO THE TOWN WHO REALLY HAD NO JURISDICTION OVER THE
WATER COMPANY TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT -- THEY'VE ALL BEEN
VERY HELPFUL BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH A LONG-TERM
SOLUTION. ♪