Upper Housatonic River Basin Study: Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Excerpts from the report: The Upper Housatonic River Basin, located in central Berkshire County, Massachusetts, is composed of 11 communities but only eight have significant portions of their area within the drainage area. The city of Pittsfield plus the towns of Hinsdale, Lanesborough, and Dalton account for 71 percent of the Basin area. The Basin covers about 92,600 acres or 144.7 square miles. Topography can be divided into a three-part physiographic system: the valley of the Housatonic River and its major tributaries, the highland area to the east, and the Taconic Range to the west. Although Berkshire County is primarily rural, the Upper Housatonic Basin is industrialized especially in and around Pittsfield. Forest land occupies about 76,000 of the Basin's 92,600 acres. This report focuses on the problems and concerns associated with the Upper Housatonic River Basin area (as described in Chapter 1). The concerns identified by local, county, and state officials include: Eutrophication of Lakes, Wetlands Protection, Groundwater Protection, Multiple Purpose Use of Lakes, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Water Supply, and Flooding. In addressing these problems, USDA and cooperating agencies recommend a plan of action as presented in Chapter 2, along with a list of agencies, groups, and organizations that could take leadership to implement parts of the Recommended Plan (Chapter 3). Several alternative components that were considered during the evaluation process but not included in the Recommended Plan are discussed in Chapter 4.