Stockbridge Bowl Dam Study and Dredging Permits Advance on Parallel Tracks

LENOX -- June 7, 2026, Stockbridge Bowl Stewardship Committee hears dam study and dredging permitting updates. Town official Michael Canales told the committee June 7 that engineers from Kyan Bond are conducting a phase two dam safety assessment on the Stockbridge Bowl dam, a structure classified as high-hazard, with topographic survey work now underway and hydrological studies planned for later this summer; a final report is expected by late fall or early winter. A preliminary estimate cited during the meeting put required tree and stump removal near the dam's toe at roughly $250,000, though that figure awaits confirmation. On the lake's long-planned dredging project, Canales reported that three prerequisite studies were completed in the prior year, clearing the way for engineering firm GZA to begin a new round of permitting that includes a MEPA review, a Chapter 91 application, and a Notice of Intent, among others. The committee also fielded questions about incomplete kayak launch components at the state-funded boat ramp and about the enforcement limits of zebra mussel monitors stationed there, with Canales confirming that the town receives $6,000 annually from the state for the monitoring program, with remaining costs borne by the town.