GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - Customers of Housatonic Water Works are still dealing with water issues and are now speaking out against a proposed water rate increase.

Christine Koval is thankful to have clean water for her border collies and the livestock on her farm in Housatonic, but said the costs are adding up.

“To get relatively clean water, I've had to spend a lot of money on my own and pay the extra money for water that's not clean to drink,” she said.

Koval’s last monthly bill from Housatonic Water Works came out to $65, plus about $327 due to a recent issue with her home’s meter. She’s also paid to install a $2,700 water filtration system, which comes with annual costs, to ensure what comes out of her tap is consumable.

“The new one is great," Koval said. "I haven't had brown water at all this summer. It takes out manganese, which we have a problem with here. It takes out the HAA5 and the sediment. That was the ugly part, you know. Imagine filling your cup with brown water. So that, you know, it was a solution. But I don't feel I should have had to pay $2,700 for a filtration system when I'm getting water from a water company.”

Housatonic Water Works is a private company which provides water to about 850 homes. Koval said the issue of brown water isn’t new and seems to be at its worst during warmer weather.

“It was pretty much all summer last year," Koval said. "It would vary from coffee colored to sometimes tea.”

“It's been going on for years," said Donna Jacobs, another Housatonic resident. "The brown water, I've known it for at least three years now.”

The water company is now requesting a more than 112% overall revenue increase through an application with the Department of Public Utilities - which means the average resident would see their annual bill increase from about $750 a year to more than $1,600.

At a public meeting hosted by the DPU this week, dozens of residents like Jacobs shared their stories speaking against the proposal.

“I say bring the rates down, not up," Jacobs said. "We're paying more than the state median average for water here. In this state, people pay $34 on average for their monthly for their water. And we pay $43.”

“The hope is that right now that we don't have to have this huge rate hike because we still don't have clean water," Koval said. "And a lot of people can't afford these expensive filtration systems. Me as a farmer, I have to water my livestock and water the dogs. And it's going to be very expensive to have water.”

The company has been conduting a year-long study on Green Sand Filtration, a technology for manganese removal.

In a statement provided by Housatonic Water Works, the company says the proposed rate increase “allows us to fairly address the costs associated with water quality improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and operational expenses necessary to serve our community effectively.”

The DPU suspended the effective date of the proposed increase until June 1, 2024 to investigate the company’s request.