Dalton Select Board Approves 19% Sewer Rate Increase

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:58PM / Thursday, August 11, 2022Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board approved a 19 percent increase in sewer rates for fiscal 2023 on Monday.

With the current rate of $3.53 bi-annual metered rate per 1,000 gallons and an annual flat rate of $394, the town would be in an almost $172,000 deficit. Officials say this warranted the increase.

The bi-annual metered rate is estimated to be about $4.21 and the annual flat rate is estimated to increase by about $75.

"It's clear that there has to be an increase and this is due to the intergovernmental expense, the Pittsfield water treatment," Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said.

"This is actually the first year I think in a while we've got a hard estimate from the city and that's great, the problem being the estimate is a lot of money, about $230,000 roughly, so that's a substantial increase and that's what's leading to if we kept the same rate, that would be the $172,000 deficit."

In March, the Pittsfield City Council approved a 10 percent increase in water rates and a 12 percent increase in sewer rates per year for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. As the provider for Dalton's water, this raised the FY22 estimated bill to more than $1.1 million, which is a nearly $230,000 increase from FY21's around $938,000.

The city's rates last increased in 2019, when residents saw a 10 percent water increase and a 50 percent sewer increase.

With the 19 percent increase, the town will have an estimated surplus of about $32,000, which is less than a third of what it expects to ask for its sewer stabilization fund that is intended to protect it against increases from Pittsfield or elsewhere.

The finance team originally asked for a 20 percent increase and then dropped it down to 18 percent. The Select Board decided on a rate that was in between.

An 18 percent increase would have just covered Pittsfield's rate increase.

The board also accepted three articles for a special town meeting on Aug. 29.

Article 1 is raise and appropriates an additional $130,874 for the transfer station expenses that were not accounted for at the annual town meeting or the special town meeting on June 27 plus funds for an appraisal of the Bardin land in preparation for selling it. It requires a majority vote.

Article 2 is to borrow an additional $162,477 to $200,427 for Town Hall renovations based on a cost estimate for asbestos removal, reconstruction of the second-floor ceiling, and abating asbestos-containing plaster in two third-floor offices. It requires a two-thirds vote.

Article 3 is to transfer $146,100 from the General Stabilization Fund to supplement the borrowing authorization passed by the town for the Division Road reconstruction. It also requires a two-thirds vote.

Tags: sewer rates, special town meeting,

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Pittsfield Man Creates Device to Clear Lakes of Algae Blooms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
08:07AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

Marc Bellora holds a jar of lake water, left, to compare to water cleaned by his Aqua Clarifier Water System.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Marc Bellora has high hopes for a device he's created to treat lakes from harmful algae blooms.

His patented water clarifier can physically remove captured material rather than letting the nutrient-rich material settle back into the lake, which occurs when herbicides are used.

"It's a long-term lake management tool that can be used to reduce legacy nutrients in lakes and ponds over time," he explained. "We built the prototype, this is a prototype. It does approximately 65 to 70 gallons per minute. It's very environmentally friendly. Can be used with air only, or we can use a low-dose potable polyaluminum chloride (PACL) or chemical on board that can help improve results."

The water clarifier barge is based on well-proven technology for water treatment, he said. "It's a self-contained, portable, mobile unit that removes algae blooms, nitrogen, phosphorus, and the associated nitrogen and phosphorus within lakes."

Bellora founded Clear Waterways Group with business partner Mark Simon. They built a prototype mobile unit and are still working out the kinks. It's taken Bellora about five years to bring the project to fruition as he is also a full-time Realtor.

He says the repurposed barge they use has a device that uses air to filter the water to separate harmful bacteria or uses a chemical at low doses. They are testing both to see how well each does at cleaning the water.

"They would do the same thing here, except they would spray it, and it blocks all that stuff together," Bellora said of the use of herbicides. "But then it drops to the bottom. So now all the nutrients that are attached in that plot go to the bottom and contribute to the legacy nutrients only to fuel next year's bloom. Ours removes it."

He said just using air alone has removed 70 to 90 percent of harmful algae where he has been operating on the south end of Pontoosuc Lake.

"Essentially, we take in the bad stuff, we take in the lake water. We separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. Clean water goes back into the lake, and the bad stuff can either be composted, or it can be taken to the wastewater treatment plant, which is what we're doing here," he said.

Bellora explained that tiny air bubbles attach to particles in the water, making them buoyant so they rise and can be removed. The unit can operate with air alone, or with a low dose of potable polyaluminum chloride.

PACL helps through flocculation: it gathers small particles into larger clumps that are easier for air bubbles to capture. He said this can help remove dissolved nutrients that air alone may not capture as effectively.

Bellora said he was inspired to build something like this after noticing the lakes he enjoys being shut down because of algae blooms.

The city issued a health advisory for Pontoosuc in August, warning residents not to swim or come in contact with the lake water because of an algae bloom. The cyanobacteria can cause skin irritations, vomiting and diarrhea and nerve or liver problems.

Bellora previously worked for a company that used traditional dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems to treat water. In that role, he traveled around the country to work at paper mills and food-processing plants.

That experience gave him a practical understanding of DAF, and while flying between jobs, he would see green ponds and wonder whether the technology could be adapted to treat lakes.

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