Landfill Quantitative Air Risk Assessment

The Northampton Department of Public Works has completed a Quantitative Air Risk Assessment as requested by the Department of Environmental Protection. This Assessment also incorporated comments received from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The Summary of Findings state "There are no unacceptable risks from ambient air identified at any of the residential receptor locations. The results include conservative risk assumptions about exposure and include the total of all constituents found, which incorporates background. Thus the Risk Characterization finds no unacceptable inhalation risks or hazards to the local population."

Click on the above title to access the complete report. This is a large file and will take some time to download.

Water Use Restriction Implemented

Effective immediately the City of Northampton Department of Public Works (DPW) is implementing a water use restriction for users of the Northampton Public Water Supply. The recent drought conditions in the Northeast have triggered the need for this water restriction. Limiting water use, especially non-essential outdoor water use, is needed to ensure a sustainable water supply and to protect stream flow for aquatic life

Click here for full press release with explanation of banned water uses and fines

Edward S. Huntley, P.E., Director

Roundabout Intersection - Phase II Progress

The intersection of Bridge Road connecting to North Main Street (Route 9) will be moving southerly (toward Florence Center) about 75 yards around the beginning of July. Traffic will be redirected onto a newly paved section of Bridge Road in order to promote progress for the next phase of construction. Utility work is progressing as wires get repositioned onto the new poles on both streets over the next three weeks. Please use caution as traffic will be directed to use portions of Route 9 and Bridge Road where pavement has been reclaimed over the next six months.

Unlimited Road Budget

The DPW has used its pavement management software to project City road maintenance and repairs based on an unlimited budget ($25 million would do). Calculations are based on 2006-2009 condition surveys and 2010 work is not included.

This is in the form of an Excel spreadsheet that allows you to search and sort by various values such as PCI (Pavement Condition Index), Benefit Value, repair type, and estimated cost. This spreadsheet can be found on the DPW website or by clicking on the title of this posting.

UPDATE: Jackson Street Paving Project

Weather permitting, paving operations on Jackson Street have been rescheduled to begin on June 22, 2010 (Tuesday). It has been decided to delay construction until after school has been dismissed for the summer to help lessen traffic congestion and delays. Although one-lane traffic will be open, it is advised to seek an alternate route during this street work. Expect delays during the milling and paving of Jackson Street for approximately one week.

Residential Food Waste Composting

Starting June 14th, the Northampton Department of Public Works will implement a free food waste collection program at the Locust Street Recycling Center. This trial will assess the level of interest in diverting organic wastes from the residential waste stream by measuring participation and generation rates. The program will be provided to residents at no cost and will run for at least a year…and perhaps longer.

More than 100 households have already signed up for the program, which officially begins on Monday June 14. Three more registration sessions have been scheduled from 5-7pm on the following dates at the DPW office [125 Locust Street, Northampton]

Wednesday June 9
Monday June 14
Wednesday June 16

Additional drop-in registrations may be scheduled at a later date. A 2010-2011 vehicle permit will be required for access to this service. Even if a resident doesn’t use the DPW Recycling Center for trash and recycling, they may purchase a permit to participate in the food waste collection program. Permits are $25 for residents and $5 for seniors (62 years and older) and a vehicle registration with a Florence, Leeds or Northampton address is required. Permits are affixed to the vehicle as part of the registration process.

For more information, contact Karen at 413-587-1059 or at kbouquillon@nohodpw.org

Jackson Street Paving Project

A portion of Jackson Street is scheduled to receive new pavement within the next two (2) weeks as part of the Safe Routes to School stimulus project and partial funding from the Department of Public Works (DPW). Approximately 2,000 ft of roadway (from the School driveway to Prospect St) will get a two-inch milling and overlay of new pavement with two raised crosswalks installed. Weather permitting, milling is scheduled to begin on June 9th, 2010 (Wednesday), and paving on June 14th, 2010 (Monday). The road will be open to one-way traffic. Please consider using an alternate route if possible to avoid delays during this scheduled work.

Traffic Delays - Roundabout Construction

As the Roundabout construction proceeds at the intersections of North Main Street and Bridge Road motorists should expect delays. The movement of overhead utilities may incur additional delays in the next 3 weeks. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes during construction hours (7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday).