Politics & Government
After Repairs, Peabody Water Plant Set To Resume Operation
A fire at the plant last year led to this year's increase in water rates for Peabody residents and businesses.
PEABODY, MA -- Repairs to the Coolidge Street water treatment facility are almost complete, more than a year after a fire knocked the plant offline and forced the city to get water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The plant could be returned to service by the end of the month, pending the completion of testing and approval from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt was forced to seek a 7.5% increase in water rates in May and to dip into reserve funds after the MWRA issued the city a preliminary bill of $4.2 million for 2017 to the city. When the plant was in operation, the city typically was billed around $2 million annually for water from MWRA.
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