New Universally Accessible Sheffield Trail To Be Highlighted on Guided Walk

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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — The Sheffield Land Trust will hold its annual Fall Property Walk on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1 pm at its Ashley Falls Woods property off Rte 7A in Ashley Falls.  
 
The guided walk will highlight the completion of the first phase of upgrading a section of trail to be universally accessible.  Signage and other improvements will follow in subsequent phases.
 
Join guides Elia Delmolino and Neal Chamberlain to experience this new recreational opportunity.
 
Neal Chamberlain is the long-time Land Trust volunteer who guides the maintenance of the trails, and Elia DelMolino is from Greenagers, whose youth work crews have been busy this summer and fall in transforming 0.3 miles of the existing trail into an ADA-compliant accessible trail. The trail of compacted stone dust wanders through mowed meadows and forest, with a new bridge and boardwalk crossing the stream and wet areas.
 
The Land Trust thanked Greenagers, for making this trail accessible and the Berkshire Environmental Endowment, Eagle Fund, Fields Pond Foundation, and MassTrails for the grants that helped fund the work.
 
Before the walk, enjoy seasonal refreshments. Please wear good walking shoes and warm clothing.
 
This event is free, open to the public and family friendly.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Housatonic Water Works Penalized for Delayed Treatment Facility

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a $2,500 demand for payment of suspended penalty to Housatonic Water Works Co. for failure to comply with a July 2025 Administrative Consent Order with Penalty. 
 
The order required the company to complete a manganese treatment plant at its drinking water treatment facility by June 1, 2026. 
 
"It is unacceptable that Housatonic Water Works has failed to meet the required deadline for completing and placing the manganese treatment system into operation," said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP's Western Regional Office in Springfield. "MassDEP expects the company to accelerate construction of the treatment plant and make it operational without further delay." 
 
Under the terms of the 2025 order, the water company agreed to complete the manganese treatment plant by March 1, 2026, to mitigate ongoing seasonal drinking water discoloration affecting the company's service areas. 
 
MassDEP agreed to suspend the full penalty of $12,360 on the condition that it complied with the requirements of the order. The company subsequently requested an extension of the March 1 deadline, citing pending litigation and related delays in acquiring required construction funding. MassDEP extended the completion date to June 1. The company requested an additional extension; MassDEP denied that request. 
 
Housatonic Water Works had failed to complete construction of the treatment plant. Based on that violation of its order, MassDEP demanded partial payment of the suspended penalty in the amount of $2,500. Penalty costs may not be passed along to ratepayers in any way. MassDEP will continue to track this matter closely until compliance is achieved. 
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