FROM:
Stephen Bannon, Chair of Great Barrington Selectboard
TO:
Rep Leigh Davis
Rep. Paul Mark
Officials with DEP (Dept Environmental Protection)
Officials with DWP (Drinking Water Program)
Officials with DPU (Department of Public Utilities)
October 9, 2026
I want to begin by congratulating my colleague Eric Gabriel for taking a stand and making a statement that took courage to write. It is because of that statement that I am delivering my own thoughts on this matter.
I am not writing this as a resident of Housatonic. I am not writing this as a Housatonic waterworks Customer. I am writing this as the longest serving member of the Great Barrington select board. I am writing this as an individual member not representing the views or thoughts of the entire board.
The town of Great Barrington over the past many years has followed the regulatory process, opposed rate increases before Department of Public Utilities (DPU), and questioned decisions that have allowed Housatonic waterworks to continue to operate in a substandard way.
When we opposed rate hikes, we were told by regulatory agencies that they understood our concerns and yet they still granted the rate hikes. When we questioned why business as usual was allowed to continue, we were told that progress was being made. We knew otherwise. And more importantly, so did the customers who continued paying higher water bills while waiting for the improvements they deserved.
Now we are at a tipping point where we actually may see a change. A change in ownership. A change in leadership. And, most importantly, a change in the future of this water system. For the first time in a long time, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. But we also need to recognize that even with meaningful progress today, clean, reliable water for Housatonic, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge residents is still years away.
That is why what we do next matters.
I am asking our State leadership to help us finish what should have been finished years ago. I am asking for your regulatory support, your financial support and your continued cooperation. If, as State Representative Davis has suggested, declaring a state of emergency may not be the best way forward, I respect that perspective. But if it is not the answer, then I am asking the State to help us identify what IS the answer.
An emergency declaration by the Governor could provide authority for the State to intervene in the operation of the company and temporarily transfer day-to-day running of the company to a qualified third party. If not, tell us the better way to accomplish this goal.
This is about more than solving a water crisis. It is also about who is going to pay for it.
For years, Housatonic Water Works customers have been asked to pay more and more and more. Rate increases have been approved through DPU, while the improvements residents have been waiting for have not been fully delivered.
At what point, as Eric stated, is enough, enough?
I believe residents should pay their fair share for clean, reliable water. But their fair share should not mean continuing to pay higher rates for a system that has constantly fallen short of their needs.
We need the State’s partnership in both regulatory support but also identifying State and Federal financial opportunities that can help us develop a responsible and affordable financial path.
The people of Housatonic, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge have already paid a price for this crisis. They have paid through higher water bills and years of frustration and uncertainty, not knowing whether they can trust the water coming into their homes. They should not have to pay for it all over again.
Solving a water crisis should not create a financial crisis for the very people we are trying to help.
I also want to recognize the cooperation we have received over the past several weeks from Governor Healey’s administration, our legislative delegation, and the many State agencies involved. We have worked together in a collegial and constructive way, and I sincerely appreciate those efforts. I believe everyone involved wants to see this resolved. We may have different ideas about how to get there but we share the same responsibility to the people who depend on this water system. While I appreciate the conversations and cooperation, we now need to turn that work into action.
This is not a political request. This is a humanitarian request for every customer of Housatonic Water Works.
No one in this Country, this Commonwealth, or our community should have to live with dirty and unsafe water. There is no reason people must think twice before they can use the water in their own residence.
We have an opportunity to do more than fix a water system. We have an opportunity to restore public trust, rebuild confidence and begin the process of helping a community that has carried a burden far too long. This will take leadership, cooperation, financial commitment and some difficult decisions. But I believe we can get there if we continue working together and keep the residents at the center of every decision.
We have come too far to stop or slow down. This is the moment for us to step up and do the right thing for the customers of Housatonic waterworks and the future of our community.