A 'ditch' runs through it

Some critics wonder whether the cleanup of the Housatonic River is doing more harm than good

PITTSFIELD - Everyone agrees that the Housatonic River needs to be scrubbed clean: So many toxic chemicals were dumped into the 150-mile-long waterway that it has become one of the nation's filthiest.

But many in the region are recoiling from the restoration of the first 2 miles. Sloping river banks were lined with a wall of gray rocks to prevent erosion of polluted soil. Mature, leafy trees were cut down to make room for excavation equipment. Contaminated river sediment was dug out and hauled to landfills, prompting concerns the problem was simply moved somewhere else.

"They turned a free-flowing river into an industrial ditch," said George Wislocki, founder of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.

Now as General Electric, the river's polluter, proposes to use many of the same methods to scrub and contain large portions of the next 10 miles, state officials and environmentalists are warning of the damage that may be done to a Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary and state wildlife lands in the name of saving the river. Although the Housatonic is dirty, its banks and floodplain host key habitats for dozens of threatened plants and animals, ones that could be destroyed by excavation and the armoring of the river.

For the full story click here: http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/07/14/a_ditch_runs_through_it/