A Fix To Norton's Brown Water Is Coming, But It Will Cost Residents

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NORTON (CBS) -- Every few weeks, Tony Manzo drains some water from his hot water heater at his home in Norton. And what comes out is a thick, amber liquid. It's Norton's town water.

"We have high iron and manganese content. When it gets into the pipes, it works to create this rust that people have been having issues with," said town manager Mike Yunits. It's been that way for years.

But help is on the immediate horizon: a new, $8 million treatment plant will go online in a matter of weeks. It'll be able to treat 2.5 million gallons of water per day.

The water in Norton can be a dark brown (WBZ-TV)

The town's three main wells will run through the treatment plant.

"I went and talked to towns that had the same type of plant that we are putting in, the sand filters, and they told me that after they put the plant in, they were good to go," said Yunitis.

The downside: town residents will have to pay the $8 million bill over the next 20 years.
And then, there are the new pipes that have to go in.