More than $100,000 in unpaid bills has left Housatonic Water Works, a private utility in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in a financial bind that could jeopardize the emergency water connection serving customers, while its state-required manganese filter remains on indefinite hold.
Here’s what to know
Housatonic Water Works has been using an emergency connection from the Great Barrington Fire District since Dec. 24, 2025, after a sharp drop in water pressure. According to The Berkshire Eagle, fire district commissioners have unanimously said they could shut off the backup supply unless the company starts paying.
The repayment plan called for three installments to the fire district: $35,000 due Sept. 25, another $35,000 due Nov. 3, and $35,000 plus accrued charges due Dec. 1. Housatonic Water Works had already said its extended run of negative cash flow might prevent it from meeting those deadlines.
The company suggested sending $3,000 a month toward the debt, but the fire district rejected it. District officials said carrying the unpaid balance would strain their budget and could eventually push taxes higher for ratepayers.
More background
Those money problems are also stalling the manganese filtration system the state ordered to address recurring discolored water in Housatonic’s system. Although Housatonic Water Works had said the filter would be finished by October, the company wrote in a September update to the state, “the Project is currently on hold indefinitely,” according to The Berkshire Eagle.
Customers remain dependent on a utility that has not completed the project and says it cannot secure the funding needed under the current rate structure.
A Sept. 15 order from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection says the company must provide each customer with one gallon of bottled water per day if low water pressure continues.
Failure to comply could bring MassDEP fines of up to $25,000 per day. Housatonic Water Works has also said it lacks the money to fix the pressure problem or to supply bottled water.
What’s being done?
MassDEP is also pushing to put the emergency connection on firmer contractual footing. The Berkshire Eagle reported that the agency’s Sept. 15 order directs Housatonic Water Works and the fire district to formalize continued service in a contract, even as the payment fight remains unresolved.
Housatonic Water Works has separately proposed turning over ownership to the town for no purchase price if Great Barrington agrees to assume the company’s existing debt. The town can vote to accept that proposal at a town meeting.
If a sale doesn’t happen, the company wants the Select Board to back its emergency rate-increase petition. It is also asking to revise its current rate agreement, saying costs have exceeded expectations and uncertainty over future revenue has made lenders reluctant to provide more financing for the filter project.
Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove summarized the town’s objective in a press release: “Our focus is very simple: keep the water flowing, protect the people who depend on this system every day, and keep moving toward a long-term solution. There are a lot of people at the table now, and that matters. We are grateful for the attention and engagement we are receiving from our state partners and for the willingness of everyone involved to keep working through a very complicated situation.”
Where can I learn more?
Housatonic isn’t alone. These stories cover communities and utilities across the country struggling to pay for safe drinking water when contamination or aging infrastructure demands fixes they can’t easily afford.
• In Fayetteville, North Carolina, officials warned that money meant to clean up PFAS was frozen as contamination concerns mounted.
• In Wisconsin, officials said they don’t have the money to move a contamination fix forward.
• Water agencies nationwide formed a coalition suing major companies over widespread PFAS cleanup costs.
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