Silver Lake (Pittsfield, Massachusetts)

This article is about the lake in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For other uses, see Silver Lake.
Silver Lake

Silver Lake with a warning sign (Pre-Cleanup)
Location Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°27′03″N 73°14′25″W / 42.45083°N 73.24028°W / 42.45083; -73.24028Coordinates: 42°27′03″N 73°14′25″W / 42.45083°N 73.24028°W / 42.45083; -73.24028
Surface area 26 acres (11 ha)
Max. depth 30 feet (9.1 m)

Silver Lake is a lake in Pittsfield, Massachusetts that has had environmental concerns and been subject to a clean-up effort by both the town of Pittsfield and the EPA.

Location

Silver Lake is bounded to north by Silver Lake Boulevard and Fourth Street, and the west and south by residential and commercial properties. It is approximately 26 acres (11 ha) large with a maximum water depth of about 30 feet (9.1 m).[1]

Environmental

The lake currently receives storm water flow from several City outfalls and one NPDES-permitted outfall. The NDPES-permitted outfall receives storm water from a portion of the GE Plant Area that has been transferred to PEDA. Silver Lake drains to the Housatonic River by an underground 48-inch (120 cm) diameter, concrete, culvert pipe located near the intersection of Fenn Street and East Street.[2] Two significant oil spills have occurred in the lake, and garbage, sewage and PCBs have been dumped into it. The lake caught fire in 1923 due to the pollution.[3]

Cleanup

The long-polluted Silver Lake in Pittsfield has undergone a massive cleanup (July 2012 - December 2013) and has opened as a park to the public with water safe enough for activities like fishing and boating.[4] Recently re-mediated Silver Lake is a recreational asset to the city, according to local officials, fit for picnics, boating and fishing.[5] GE submits annual reports regarding the details of all of the inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities that occurred within the Silver Lake Area Removal Action Area over the course of a given year.

References

  1. ↑ "Silver Lake - Overview". http://www.epa.gov. Retrieved Spring 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  2. ↑ "Silver Lake - Overview". http://www.epa.gov. Retrieved Spring 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ "Pittsfield's Silver Lake, once tainted, ready for recreation". http://www.berkshireeagle.com. Retrieved Spring 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  4. ↑ "Pittsfield's Silver Lake, once tainted, ready for recreation". http://www.berkshireeagle.com. External link in |website= (help)
  5. ↑ "Pittsfield: Once Blighted Lake Ready for Recreation". iBerkshires. Retrieved Spring 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/12/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.