Stockbridge Bowl panel trims lake testing, adds new salt check
Other Committee · Meeting of March 26, 2026
Stockbridge Bowl panel scales back lake testing after a warm 2025 fueled a deep bloom. Dr. Ben Burpee, a GZA limnologist, told the Stockbridge Bowl Stewardship Committee that 2025's warm, dry conditions intensified thermal stratification and drove a deep cyanobacteria layer to nearly 250,000 cells per milliliter, a "severe" concentration Burpee said stayed too deep to trigger beach closures.
Water Superintendent Mike Buffoni detailed the town's monthly sampling routine across the lake and four tributary streams. The committee approved GZA's proposal to cut sampling depths from five to three, drop tributary testing given consistently clean readings, and reduce GZA site visits from three to two annually, while adding a new spring test for road-salt runoff at member Sally's request: "I think people getting in and out of their houses, they're going to be using salt." The panel unanimously approved its March 12 minutes and voted to adjourn.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 926 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of March 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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