Susan Johnson

Chairman of Windham Water Works Mike Callahan joined us “Let’s Talk About It” to discuss the history of the town’s water department dating back to the 1880s when the drinking water was not treated. He also broke down how staff make sure the water is safe to drink and dug deeper into why the department is requesting a rate hike.

Windham is one of the first places to have a water works system in Connecticut. Since the 1880s, the water department has used water power to pump water throughout its district. The community voted back then to approve $200,000 to essentially build Willimantic Water Works from scratch, which was an incredible undertaking. At first, the water was untreated, and it wasn’t until the early 20th century when water departments started to change that.

Presently, Windham Water Works has some of the historically lowest water rates around. The commission will be holding a public hearing in September regarding rate increases. According to Callahan, Windham Water Works needs a rate hike to match inflation and cover costs driven by other regulatory requirements. The water department does not receive much state or federal funding. It also needs to deal with staff turnover due to the physically demanding nature of certain jobs in the department. The last time rate hike occurred in 2021.

We also discussed the dangers of PFAs and why Windham Water Works does not expect significant issues pertaining to lead. Please click below to listen to the entire show!

Chairman of Windham Water Works Mike Callahan talks about the town's water department.