Posted on January 1, 2025
STOCKBRIDGE — Groundwork is underway on a potential dredging project that would remove invasive weeds from Stockbridge Bowl.
Town Administrator Michael Canales is on the case now, having been directed by the Select Board last September to take the reins of a long-delayed project that could cost $2 million.
In a recent update for the Select Board, Canales said he is working with the town’s engineering firm, GZA GeoEnvironmental of Springfield, on a revised schedule of priorities for the dredging effort. This work is being paid for with nearly $100,000 of unspent funding under contract with the town.
Under the current proposal, hydraulic dredging would pump material into geotextile tubes on the Bullard Woods shoreline on the east side of the lake, allowing the water to drain.
Bullard Woods, a scenic hiking area within an old-growth forest, is owned by the Stockbridge Bowl Association, a private organization of shorefront and nearby residents formed in 1946 to protect and preserve the lake.
Next steps include a Conservation
Commission review of “isolated areas of environmental concern” in Bullard Woods over the next six months, and an archeological dig with a team from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians to determine whether there may be tribal artifacts in the area. That step must be completed before the project can can move forward to a required review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office.
First, a review of the tribe’s historical records will determine what further testing would be needed, since the area was a wetlands most likely frequented by the town’s original settlers before the earthen Stockbridge Bowl Dam created the lake in 1880. Native Americans lived on a plain above the lake that became the site of Tanglewood, according to Selectman Patrick White, a member of the Stockbridge Mohican Commission.
The data collection, costing no more than $48,000 and probably less, is a very important review “that would determine whether the project can move on to its next phases,” Canales said.
White asked whether Stockbridge has an agreement for the project with the Stockbridge Bowl Association. Canales said he has approached Pat Kennelly, the SBA president, about permits for the archaeological study and testing.
Canales pointed out that the town has the funding in place for the priority punch list that would yield a go or no-go outcome for the dredging project, which could begin as early as July 1, 2027.
A no-go would result if human bones are found on the Bullard Woods site. In that case, without an alternate site for hydraulic pumping, the Select Board would have to decide on moving forward with standard dredging or other options.
Canales acknowledged that the use of geotextile tubes for hydraulic dredging would cause “significant disruption,” such as tree removal.
“What are the steps that could bring this to a screeching halt?” Canales asked. “Let’s get those answered, and if we get this answered, then we move on to the permitting and the construction drawing and bids.”
Cost estimates for the full scope of work will follow as designs are prepared, he said.
The Stockbridge Bowl Association has $1.5 million in reserves for the weed-removal project, which has been in various stages of planning for close to a decade. To control milfoil growth, the town has deployed its weed-whacking mechanical harvester each summer.
Stockbridge Bowl, a 372-acre Great Pond owned by the state but managed by the town, attracts thousands of boaters, swimmers and anglers yearly. There are more than 400 lakeshore homes, a public beach and private beaches owned by Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home at Tanglewood.
