(Host) Rutland residents got good news Monday morning about their drinking water. A major water main burst on Saturday, and that forced the city to require that all water be boiled.
But Mayor Chris Louras says water testing found no contaminants.
(Louras) "The message to the folks in the Rutland area needs to be very clear. They can drink as much water as they want and there was never any danger to the residents as far as water quality is concerned. The tests we ran this morning proved that out. We had to wait 24 hours after taking the sample."
(Host) Rutland is grappling with old water pipes like many cities are. The one that burst in Rutland was 102 years old.
Louras says the city has been setting aside money the past several years to pay for repairs.
Many local residents have complained about steeply increasing water rates, but the mayor says the investment is sorely needed.
(Louras) "This summer the 1858 pre-civil-war pipe on Woodstock Avenue – a major main – is going to be replaced and the city recognizes that the we’re going to be dealing with this for decades until the most vulnerable pipes are going to be replaced."
(Host) Many communities across the state will grapple with similar infrastructure issues tomorrow at town meetings.
VIDEO: Rutland’s Commissioner of Public Works shows some of the city’s aging pipes