The Task Force was officially established as a subcommittee of the Selectboard at its 6/17/24 meeting with the objective to identify specific actions that can be taken by the Town of Shutesbury, the Lake Wyola Association, MA Division of Conservation Resources, and residents to address the problems created by stormwater runoff, including damage to roads and the lake itself.
The Task Force was charged with the following tasks:
Read all past studies
Identify specific stormwater/erosion "hot spots" using previous studies and current site visits
Propose and prioritize specific project/project phases for proposed fund-raising (assuming different grants/models for different purposes)
Identify appropriate funding options
Make follow-up presentations to update the Lake Wyola Advisory Committee, the Lake Wyola Association, the Select Board and the Conservation Commission
Becoming a Watershed Advocate for Lake Wyola Outdoor Environmental Celebration and Evening Webinar
The Shutesbury Lake Wyola Stormwater Erosion Task Force and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) present two events focused on the watershed dynamics that are leading to stormwater erosion, sedimentation, and other issues currently impacting the Lake and surrounding neighborhoods. Attendees learned how to look beyond what is happening in their yard or on their road to see what’s happening in the watershed as a whole, and learned what they can do about it.
Environmental Celebration – Sunday, August 10, 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Following the annual Weed Watcher’s paddle (10 – 11 a.m.), folks gathered on the lawn of the Lake Wyola Association Hall to play with sophisticated hands-on watershed models and eat ice cream. The EnviroScape allows users to simulate rainfall and manipulate the landscape to understand how pollution moves through a watershed. The Stream Table allows users to manipulate stream flow velocity and streamside development to understand erosion and deposition, meander development and movement, and sediment transport. At 11.45 a.m., FRCOG staff and members of the Lake Wyola Stormwater Task Force led a short walk along Shore and Pine Drives to examine how water moves across the landscape and understand the impact of stormwater erosion. The event was informative and fun for all ages -- with ice cream available the whole time! Thanks to the Lake Wyola Association for co-sponsoring.
Webinar – Tuesday, August 12, 7 to 8 p.m. The Stormwater Task Force and the FRCOG will co-presented a webinar on the Lake Wyola Watershed, how we got to the point of needing a task force to tackle erosion, how to approach improving stormwater erosion and water quality for the long-term and at the watershed-scale, and what we can do. A Q&A session followed.
