The town of Brunswick has arranged for a shipment of water from a nearby community to residents of Bay Bridge Estates, a large mobile home park whose residents have been dealing with a water shortage for almost two weeks.
Stephen Langsdorf, an attorney for the town, sent a letter Wednesday to the park’s owners, BBE LLC and Liberty Management Group, demanding action to address an ongoing water supply problem that has affected about 400 homes. Many residents say they have not had enough water to do laundry, dishes or even take showers, and the town stepped in after concluding that the shortage was a public health crisis.
Kevin McCarthy of Liberty Management responded with an outline of the company’s short- and long-term plans, which included drilling a new well on site. However, Langsdorf replied Thursday that the town was unsatisfied with the short-term fix.
“The town has determined that immediate and ongoing bulk filling of your storage tanks is essential to the provision of adequate water to your tenants,” the town attorney wrote. “We have arranged for the Topsham Water District to begin trucking water as of (Friday) morning to ensure the storage tanks are filled until such time as your new well is on line.”
Langsdorf also told McCarthy the town would bill the park’s owners for the water, at a cost of $115 per hour for trucking and $30 per each load of water.
In addition to the water from Topsham, a nonprofit community group in Brunswick called The Emergency Action Network has been collecting bottled water to donate to Bay Bridge residents since the beginning of this week. On Wednesday, Poland Spring learned about that effort and sent over several pallets of bottled water as well.
McCarthy, in an interview Wednesday, said high water usage at the park, located off Old Bath Road, had limited the supply significantly about four days before Christmas. That forced park managers to limit the water flow or risk drying out the wells entirely, he said.
McCarthy said the owners had planned to drill a new well, the park’s third, this spring but have moved up that schedule in light of the recent problems. He hopes they could start next week.
Many residents, however, have said the water issues date back several months and they are upset about how the owners have handled the current crisis. They also said that the rent they pay for the lots their mobile homes rest on has increased significantly in recent years without any increases in services.
Some planned to meet Friday evening to discuss whether to consider taking legal action against the owners.
Langsdorf, in his follow-up letter to the owners Thursday, said: “It is not acceptable to limit supply as you have been doing.”
Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:
Twitter: PPHEricRussell
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