Red Mills Spring Temporarily Out of Order
Update, Monday, March 30: The water is once more flowing. The pipe has been fixed, allowing people to fill their jugs from the popular spring. Ooops. The single spout feeding water up the sidewalk was dislocated on Monday night. The spring's public access is out of service until parts come in. |
"They call all the time," said Selectmen Chairwoman Debra LeFave. "It doesn't belong to the town."
The popular spring on River Road is part of the Briggsville Water District, a separate public water system from the town that's overseen by a prudential committee. It serves about 180 customers along the River Road area, including the North Adams Country Club.
But most people think it belongs to the town, so whenever it's not running properly the Selectmen and town offices are inundated with calls, many from North Adams.
The spring's had a tough year from misuse — its four PVC spouts that brought water up to the sidewalk were broken off in the fall by people trying to fill up water-cooler-sized jugs; in December, numerous plastic jugs tossed or fallen into the culvert that links the spring to the Hoosic River caused a 15-wide stream of water to pour over the road, leaving an icy mess.
If the water pressure drops, the gravity-fed pipe goes dry. "They're out there shaking the pipe and asking 'why is there no water?'" said Melanie Rancourt, who lives next door to the spring.
That may have happened on Monday night when a couple people trying to "fix" the pipe and dislocated it from the main line. Police Chief Michael Williams said police were looking into it, but it didn't seem to be vandalism. "It was hanging there because the upper-bolt section [attached to the guardrail] came loose."
The pipe was completely disconnected on Thursday and a sign said it was temporarily out of order because parts were needed.But people are trying to go down into the pool where the main pipe comes out of the ground and that has Rancourt worried because they're crossing her property and stepping on a drain pipe installed there some years ago. "If they break that pipe, we'll have to excavate this whole area again," said a very annoyed Rancourt on Wednesday.
The Selectmen have continued to ask users of the spring to please be careful. It's not a given that it will continue to be open to the public, they warn.
"It is a free and valuable resource and the few people who abuse it may end up ruining it for the majority," said Selectman Carl McKinney in an e-mail, adding again, "it is NOT owned by the town."
Editor: Melanie Rancourt is a freelance writer for iBerkshires.
