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State denies Housatonic Water Works request for delays
MassachusettsGDELTGDELT event0% biasedFri, Jun 12, 2026, 12:00 AM
0 of 16 sentences classified as biased · Model: roberta-anno-lexical-ft-v1
State denies Housatonic Water Works request for delays.GREAT BARRINGTON — Housatonic Water Works failed to meet a state deadline to install a filtration system after regulators denied the company's request for another extension.“It is unacceptable that Housatonic Water Works has failed to meet the required deadline for completing and placing the manganese treatment system into operation," a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday."MassDEP expects the company to complete the treatment plant and make it operational without further delay.” State regulators are reviewing the company's noncompliance and weighing possible enforcement action, including penalties.Under a July 2025 agreement with MassDEP, a previously assessed $12,360 penalty was suspended as long as the company complied with the order.The agreement also provides for penalties of $500 per day for violations and allows for reinstatement of the suspended penalty.In a May 26 response to the company's latest extension request, MassDEP said that while it understands the challenges, it was unwilling to change the deadline because the request did not meet the extension requirements outlined in the order."At this time, we encourage you to accelerate completion according to the established schedule to remain in compliance," the letter said.The filter is meant to address discolored water caused by excess manganese, which is more prevalent in warmer weather, and has impacted some of the more than 800 customers of the water district for decades.The June 1 deadline stems from a July 2025 order requiring the utility to install and operate a manganese treatment system to address recurring discolored water complaints.The order originally required the company to complete the system by March 1 or face penalties, unless litigation was the sole cause of financing delays.It also established a series of interim deadlines and reporting requirements, including monthly progress updates.Ongoing litigation and financial struggles led the company to request an extension last fall, which was granted.Around $1 million of the more than $1.6 million filtration system will be funded through borrowing.The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the company’s request to incur $1,155,089 in long-term debt for the project.But citing a loss of construction time due to financing delays, along with delays to equipment procurement requirements and technical integration, the company asked the state for another extension in its progress report, which was due May 15.