With the growing sinkhole indicating "unstable subsurface conditions," the Department of Public Works has closed the Division Street bridge to all pedestrian access in addition to vehicular traffic.
“There is no room for error when you’re dealing with a public water supply. There was insufficient regulation around public drinking water in Great Barrington until this zoning code was put in."
-- Richard Dohoney, attorney for Building Inspector Edwin May
The land in question falls under Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regulations that prohibit working land within 100-feet of a reservoir and wetlands, and the town’s rules that put a 500 foot buffer between a reservoir and any permitted activity.
