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The city's in the midst of flushing the water lines and hydrants.

Brown Water Result of North Adams Hydrant Flushing

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Public Services Department says there's nothing of concern in the brown water that's been coming out of taps around the city. 
 
The city's in the midst of its annual hydrant flushing, which is stirring up minerals in the water mains. 
 
"There is no impact to public health. The discoloration is due to naturally occurring minerals getting stirred up in the iron pipe of the water main," according to release from the Public Services Department.
 
"Residents may also 'self-flush' the line by turning on cold water, full-force from your bathtub faucet, until water runs clear again. This process should take about 15 minutes. After flushing, the micro-screen inside the faucet head may clog with fine sediment. It can be removed, cleaned and replaced."
 
Hydrant flushing is being done between the hours of 8 and midnight, Monday through Thursday. This may result in discolored water or temporary low water pressure in some areas. The city has  hundreds of hydrants so the flushing takes some time. 
 
The Department of Public Services flushes the hydrants annually to clear any sedimentation in the water lines, which allows water to run clear again.
 
If water is not clear after flushing for up to 60 minutes, call the Public Services Department at 413-662-3000, Ext. 3047.  

Tags: fire hydrants,   

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North Adams Council Votes $55M Budget

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The $55 million fiscal 2027 budget approved by the City Council on Tuesday had been cut by $298,000, as of Monday.
 
The proposed fiscal 2027 spending plan is $54,964,135.99, up 5 percent over this year. The Finance Committee gave a final recommendation of the draft on Monday.
 
Of the amount approved, nearly $24 million comes from state aid (minus $4.5 million in charges), $9.5 million from local receipts, and $25 million through taxation. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the Finance Committee, as it was giving its final look at the plan, that she'd made cuts on previously recommended budget lines. The budget has been under review for several weeks. 
 
"We were trending at $1.8 million that we were closing the gap on, and then it became evident that we couldn't push any more really on local receipts," she said. "The team really took a deep dive into what can we really survive without. ... I feel like we, as an administration, tightened up a lot, but we are trying to keep the budget in balance."
 
The reductions, use of $663,000 in reserves and accounts sitting outside the general fund, will be used to close the gap, along with an anticipated $1.1 million more in local receipts.
 
"We have the reserve, we should use it. It's hard to both on the city side and on the school side, you know, to say to a taxpayer, your taxes are going to go up, we have spread out this $2 million and we're sitting on a savings account for $2 million right?" the mayor said.
 
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