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The ecological restoration of 17 acres in Kirvin Park in Pittsfield will include the removal of invasive common buckthorn trees. (Photo courtesy Scott Egan/AECOM)
A new phase in the cleanup and restoration of the Housatonic River is set to begin this fall, with ecological restoration in Kirvin Park, an active recreation area in the city of Pittsfield.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, General Electric in Pittsfield used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the manufacturing of electrical transformers — contaminating the water, sediment and floodplain soils of Silver Lake and the Housatonic River. The toxic chemicals were banned in 1979, and in 2000, a federal consent decree was signed by General Electric, the city of Pittsfield, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and others.
General Electric paid over $15 million for natural resource damages to the Housatonic River Natural Resources Trustees, which was split between Massachusetts and Connecticut, which share the river. The trustees, which includes state and federal agencies, have been tasked with overseeing the restoration, with MassDEP serving as the lead administrative trustee in the state.
“In Massachusetts, this funding has supported over 25 restoration projects,” said Michelle Craddock, a natural resource damages program coordinator with MassDEP and a state trustee representative.
The consent decree indicated areas where General Electric was responsible for PCB contamination, and required the company to install and monitor 12 acres of non-contaminated forested and wetland habitat within the Housatonic River watershed outside of the consent decree site.
Pittsfield has been partnering with GE on the river clean up over the years, and supported the 2019 selection of an area in the south portion of the 226-acre Kirvin Park, based on an evaluation completed by the MassDEP.
“The city has been working with the project partners to design a quality ecological restoration project that will offer multiple benefits to not only the ecosystem but park users as well,” said James McGrath, Pittsfield’s park, open space and natural resource program manager.
The project will eradicate invasive species and replace them with native plants, restore and expand the wetlands, and create a two-acre pollinator habitat with native wildflowers. The restoration plan, which encompasses 17 acres, was prepared by AECOM, GE’s consultant on the project.
A site investigation identified a total of 88 plant species, 15 of which are non-native. The dominant invasive species are goutweed, garlic mustard, common buckthorn, multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, and Morrow’s honeysuckle.
Invasive species threaten biodiversity and lead to soil erosion and water quality impacts. Ten acres of floodplain will see invasive species replaced by plantings of native trees like cottonwood and silver maple, shrubs like silky dogwood and arrowwood, vines like river grape and Virginia creeper, and herbaceous ground cover. There will be three acres of wetland creation and enhancement by removing invasive species and regrading the physical structure of the land. Native plantings in this area will include red maple and speckled alder trees, and pussy willow and silky dogwood shrubs.
The park, which has fields and trails used by hikers, mountain bikers and dog walkers, will remain open to the public during the project.
“The goal is to address this ecological restoration project with care and sensitivity,” McGrath said. “This required significant outreach to park users and the larger community to educate them on the benefits of the project, while reassuring them that their beloved park would remain available during any work.”
Final plan approval is expected next month, with a spring 2027 projected completion.
The consent decree requires GE to conduct post-construction monitoring and maintenance for a period of five years, which the city and MassDEP hope will allow the newly planted native species to become established and thrive.
The project team and the city will work together to establish a longer term plan for the site. McGrath said the city has made a commitment to improving stewardship of other areas of the park as well, in part to support pollinator species.
The public and property abutters were engaged in the process with a public hearing and comment period. McGrath said community engagement is a key component of any ecological restoration project “because it incorporates invaluable local knowledge and fosters a sense of stewardship.”
“In Pittsfield, we like to say, ‘engage early and often.’”