BRPC Weighs In On Pittsfield's Reservoir Repair Project

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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BRPC's Executive Committee approved the comments Wednesday made by the Clearinghouse Committee about the project.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is concerned about ongoing maintenance of the Cleveland Reservoir infrastructure in Hinsdale.

The reservoir off Old Windsor Road is owned and operated by the city as a public water source.

The diversion pipes at Cady and Windsor brooks, which feed into the reservoir, are scheduled for renovations but will require up to a decade of constant monitoring.

The plan is to dredge sediment that accumulated at and upstream of two diversion conduits as well as to stabilize the eroded stream bank on the south side of the main diversion pipe and make minor repairs to the diversion dams.

The plan calls for a system in which there will be periodic dredging of the stream channels every five to 10 years and BRPC wants to make sure there is clarity regarding when and how often dredging happens. BRPC filed a report asking the city and state agencies to set benchmark conditions and continue to monitor and document the streams' change.

Additionally, BRPC hopes that the smaller streams and tributaries are be restored to proper flow levels.

"There is very little water going downstream after the spillway," BRPC Regional Issues Committee Chairman James Mullen said of a site visit.

The stream channels were built in 1948 and at the time, the engineers did not put much focus on those smaller waterways, said BRPC Executive Director Nathaniel Karns.



"They [the diversions] have been in place for decades," Karns said. "At the time they didn't care if they diverted all of the streams."

The project is expected to begin in May and be completed by September. The dredging is expected to be about 1,500 yards, including 280 feet of Windsor Brook and 640 cubic yards of Cady Brook. Approximately 28,000 square feet of land underwater will be affected by the dredging.

In the end, the project will get rid of the large deposits of sediment that is limiting storage capacity and not allowing the water to pond. With more ponding, the water quality will be improved.

Cady Brook and Windsor Brook provide 90 percent of the reservoir's water.


Tags: Berkshire Regional Planning Commission,   reservoirs,   

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Tickets On Sale for Berkshire Flyer

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), announced tickets are now on sale for the Berkshire Flyer.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal summer passenger rail service that operates between New York City from Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield. The service, which began as a successful pilot in 2022, is scheduled to resume on Friday, June 21 through Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day weekend. Trains depart New York City Friday nights and return at the end of the weekend, leaving Pittsfield Sunday afternoon.
 
In addition, for the first time this year, the Berkshire Flyer service now includes a train from New York City to Pittsfield on Sunday mornings.
 
"We're thrilled to announce this season's Berkshire Flyer service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "The Berkshire Flyer makes visiting Western Massachusetts on weekends convenient, relaxing, and easy. We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX."
 
The Berkshire Flyer departs from Moynihan Train Hall at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrives at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:27 p.m. The train will make all intermediate station stops as the scheduled Amtrak Empire Service train does in New York State on Fridays, which include Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer Station. 
 
The Sunday return trip, making all the same station stops, will depart Pittsfield at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:55 p.m. The new Sunday Berkshire Flyer train from New York City to Pittsfield will depart Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Pittsfield at 3:15 p.m.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is building upon two successful seasons where some of the Pittsfield-bound trains were sold out well in advance. Based on that experience, passengers planning a trip are encouraged to purchase tickets early by visiting Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.
 
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