Restaurant gets water after 3-day dry spell

After using well water for three days, Momma Baldacci’s restaurant has had its water turned back on by the Bangor Water District.

Proprietor Robert E. Baldacci refused to have the restaurant’s backflow preventer tested by a certified inspector. The deadline was Dec. 31, and the water was shut off March 28. The restaurant continued to cook and serve meals by hooking into a well on the property.

Ample notification had been given, Peter Caldwell, general manager of the water district, said earlier this week. “He was contacted twice by phone and three times by mail.”

Baldacci opposes the district’s backflow prevention program and has sought relief through various state agencies.

“I didn’t see the need of it in the first place,” Baldacci said the day the water was shut off. “Why should I pay to get it tested?”

The restaurant’s backflow was tested Friday, and the water district turned the water back on.

“Now it’s time to get back to business,” said John Baldacci, who manages the restaurant. “We’d been using well water. I think he made his point.”