Sackett Brook turned yellow

Sacket Brook looking downstream from Mountain Drive in Pittsfield

On the morning of July 20, 2010, Sackett Brook where it flows under Mountain Drive turned yellow. Alert neighbors notified their Ward Councilor who called BEAT. We investigated and indeed, the brook was yellow and murky.

UPDATE: Pittsfield Conservation Commission failed to ratify, as required by law, the Enforcement Order that the Conservation Agent issued on July 20. We do not believe acting on this matter would have been a violation of Open Meeting Law, but to avoid that issue the Commission sould have two standing items under “Other Business”: Enforcement Orders and Emergency Permits.

We checked upstream to see if the stream was clear where it crosses under Washington Mountain Road (oops we didn’t realize there were two possible locations to check upstream where two  different brooks cross under Washington Mountain Road). Where we checked it was clear.

So we called the Massachusetts Environmental Task Force at 1-888-VIOLATE (846-5283) and had to leave a message.

In that Sackett Brook  is a cold water trout stream that the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks, and a stream that is slated to be restored by having a dam removed,  we decided to call them as well. The Director, Andrew Madden, said that he would go right out and take a look.

Update – July 21 – Andrew Madden reported that a nearby landowner was responsible and had been told to cease activities that led to this sedimentation. He also alerted the Pittsfield Conservation Agent who was supposed to check on this violation later that day (7/10). BEAT sent photos in an email to the Conservation Agent and the Conservation Commission asking if an Enforcement Order was issued and whether the land owner would be required to file a Notice of Intent (permit required to work within 200′ of a brook or river or within 100′ of a wetland).