Housatonic Watershed

A 2000 Diagnostic/Feasibility Study identified stormwater as a significant threat to the health of Pontoosuc Lake.  Working with the Town of Lanesborough and the Friends of Pontoosuc Lake, BRPC is coordinating the engineering, design and installation of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) on three streets in Lanesborough, and one erosion control buffer at the outfall of one BMP. (Funding from DEP, Berkshire County Commissioners, Town of Lanesborough and DEM)
Staff contact: Melissa Provencher

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has worked in partnership with the Lake Onota Preservation Association (LOPA) and the City of Pittsfield to acquire funding to implement The Onota Lake Preservation Strategy. This strategy is a critical step in watershed management made up of three complimentary components. The strategy includes a short-term implementation component that primarily addresses the re-growth of Eurasian watermilfoil, an assessment component for obtaining the information necessary to successfully pursue long-range management objectives, and a monitoring and outreach component that includes expanding the current volunteer water quality monitoring program and citizen involvement. BRPC, LOPA, and the City committed to pursue funding to implement all of the components of the overall strategy. Funding has been awarded through five competitive grants including, the Department of Environmental Protection (s319), the Department of Environmental Management Lakes and Ponds Grant Program, the Berkshire Environmental Fund Community Improvement Projects, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Volunteer Monitoring Assistance Program, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust Environmental Monitoring Program.

Ultimately, the partners in this effort hope to assess recommended management techniques in order to reduce the dependency on herbicides and protect and enhance the natural environment for both current and future users. Onota Lake is a valuable environmental and recreational resource in the Berkshires. This series of projects will continue the years of watershed management and implementation activities conducted through a strong partnership between BRPC, LOPA, and the City.
Staff contact: Melissa Provencher

Kampoosa Bog is the largest, most diverse and pristine calcareous lake basin fen remaining in Massachusetts. It harbors 22 known rare plant species and 2 known rare animal species, some of global significance. Although salt intrusion from roadways is suspected as heavily favoring the advancement of Phragmites, an invasive plant species, the scientific evidence at this stage is only preliminary. Determining hydrologic flow patterns and water chemistry changes through the Bog is critical to the long-term battle to protect plant biodiversity within the ecosystem. If, as suspected, salt intrusion or other land uses are compromising the integrity of the ecosystem, weakening the ability of rare plants and animals to survive and facilitating the advance of Phragmites and other invasive species, then resource and transportation managers must adjust their operations and strategize on how best to meet these challenges. (Funded by the Mass. Environmental Trust).

For more information on Kampoosa Bog, visit the Department of Conservation and Recreation website at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/acec/acecs/l-kambog.htm