BRPC Awarded Stormwater Pollution Grant

07:30AM / Wednesday, April 01, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded $267,000 to seven regional watershed coalitions and planning collaboratives to help communities better manage stormwater and keep harmful pollution out of Massachusetts waterways.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) was awarded $63,225 to work with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and Waterstone Engineering to improve stormwater planning tools for local communities.

The project will add new stormwater management designs, create a practical guide to help communities choose the right solutions for specific locations, update cost estimates and provide training for municipal staff on the planning tools. MS4 representatives, as stormwater officials, will help shape the work to ensure the tools are user-friendly and effective for public infrastructure projects.

Stormwater is created when rainwater and snow melt flows over hard surfaces like pavement, collecting pollutants like oil from roadways and bacteria from pet waste. This polluted stormwater runoff travels through storm drains directly into rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies—harming water quality and limiting fishing, boating, and swimming. The funding enables regional watershed coalitions and planning collaboratives to develop innovative programs to limit pollution, better detect illicit discharges, manage construction site runoff, and enhance public education and participation in stormwater management.

"Stormwater is one of the biggest drivers of pollution in our waterways," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "These grants strengthen our commitment to protecting water quality by empowering communities to take action where it matters most so we can deliver real, measurable improvements for everyone."

The awarded projects will help communities meet the requirements of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit permits are required to manage stormwater discharges and prevent pollutants from entering storm sewer systems. 260 Massachusetts municipalities are subject to the MS4 permit. The MS4 Permit is issued by the EPA under the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and the projects are selected by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports11:35AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive.

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour.

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children. The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation. One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue.

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out.

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release.

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