Legal Notice

*.* Notice!*The annual meeting of the Worthington Fire District will be held on June 24, 2025, at the Town Hall at 7:00 PM. During the course of this meeting, you will be informed of the operation of the water district over the past year and you were informed of the coming upgrades and additional requirements from EPA including necessary cost adjustments. The Worthington Fire District raised the Water rent base rate from $165 per quarter ($660 per year), raised the rate for ‘Over 40,000 gallons per year” to $16 per 1000 gallons and raised the “shutoff notice fee” from $30 to $50. It is important that we have your input. Please be available for the annual meeting this year June 24, 2025, at 7PM at the town hall.

* *Your water is billed quarterly. The meter readings are done annually at the end of June. Your bill will read the base rate, and any amount over 40,000 gallons used the previous year will be divided by 4 quarters and will be billed equally.

* *The bills are due and payable in 30 days. If unpaid, you will be accessed interest and a $20.00 fee for your second billing. On the 60th day, you will receive a termination notice which will be delivered by the local constable, and your water will be terminated within 7 days of non-payment, with an additional shut-off fee of $50.00, added to your bill.

* * IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER.

 Worthington Fire District Has Levels of Gross Alpha Above Drinking Water Standards Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. We routinely monitor the presence of drinking water contaminants. Testing results we received on August 19, 2024, show that our system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for Gross Alpha radiation. The standard for Gross Alpha radiation is 15 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The average level of Gross Alpha was found at 28.5 pCi/L.

* * What should I do? You do not need to use an alternative (e.g., bottled) water supply. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

* * What happened?

* * What does this mean? This was not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. However, certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

 What is being done? We will cooperate with the MassDEP Drinking Water Program to evaluate the water supply and perform appropriate corrective actions. For more information, please contact John Sullivan at 413-238-5344 or sully1942@verizon.net <sully1942@verizon.net>. Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly. 

Date distributed: September 23, 2024