The Code of the Town of Wayland, MA (Chapter 194) calls for permits before work can be done within a 100-foot buffer zone around swamps, vernal pools, streams, and other specified resource areas. We have emphasized certain passages with bold type. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a greater degree of protection of […]
Wetlands
Barnstable Wetland Ordinance: “An undisturbed buffer zone 50 ft. in width shall be provided”
Barnstable is another Massachusetts community that emphasizes the importance of a 50-foot undisturbed zone around wetlands. Its regulations (PDF) state: …An undisturbed buffer zone 50 ft. in width shall be provided between wetland resource areas and the limit of site disturbance. It is recommended that proposed structures within the buffer zone be located no closer […]
Gazette: Erosion Near New Southampton Subdivision: Detention Basin Under Scrutiny
Monday’s Gazette reports on erosion near a new subdivision in Southampton. There may be lessons with respect to the use of detention basins to manage stormwater. From “Southampton riverbank erosion under scrutiny”: Conservation officials here are still trying to determine whether a spring ‘blowout’ that dislodged thousands of pounds of sand from a wooded slope […]
Springfield Wetland Regulations: “A minimum of a fifty (50) foot undisturbed buffer”
As with protection for significant trees, once again our friends in Springfield are outpacing Northampton when it comes to environmental protection. Here are excerpts from Springfield’s Wetland Protection Regulations currently in force. We have emphasized selected passages with bold type.Contrast Springfield’s regulations with the ones that will come before Northampton’s City Council on September 6. […]
Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
Daryl LaFleur urges the long view in “Northampton developments: Barrett Street Marsh in Jeopardy”, published yesterday on Northampton Redoubt. We have emphasized certain passages with bold type. Mr. Kohl is an influential real estate developer in the greater Northampton area. He purchased Thornes Marketplace for $6.4 million in 2006 according to media reports and has helped […]
Letters from Residents Describe Groundwater and Sewage Issues Around North Street
A flag on a map can indicate flood damage from a storm like Floyd, but the human impact of groundwater and sewage issues is best told by current and former residents. Irene Carlberg, Noreen Beebe and Donna Cavanagh have kindly provided us with their testimony, borne of years of experience of living in the North […]
Northampton’s Flood and Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan: Floyd Flood Damage Reported Behind View Avenue; Avoid Building on Filled Wetlands
On September 2, 2004, the Northampton City Council approved a Flood and Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF). The Project Manager for developing this plan was Gloria McPherson, Conservation and Land Use Planner. Ms. McPherson now works for Kohl Construction. Here are key highlights from the plan with respect to NSNA’s objectives, followed by an expanded overview. […]
Breaking News: Conservation Commission Votes to Delay Vernal Pool Delineation on Kohl Property to Spring 2008
In a significant victory for NSNA, Northampton’s Conservation Commission voted tonight to delay until spring its review of vernal pool delineation on Kohl Construction’s proposed condo site behind North Street. In its original Wetlands Application (PDF) filed several weeks ago with the city, Kohl asserted there were no existing or potential vernal pools on the site:After […]
Report on Kohl’s Property by Alec MacLeod, Environmental Scientist: Indications of Vernal Pool Habitat
We are pleased to share this report from Alec MacLeod of Orange, an environmental scientist with expertise in wetlands. NSNA engaged Mr. MacLeod to inspect the wetlands bordering Kohl Construction’s proposed condo project off North Street. With the permission of Mr. Kohl, Mr. MacLeod paid a site visit to the property on August 20. He was […]
Attleboro, MA: Evaluating and Protecting Vernal Pools; Stormwater Modeling
The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions provides a convenient list of wetlands regulations from cities across the state. Here we excerpt and emphasize portions of Attleboro’s regulations, as adopted in 2004 (MS Word file). 4.7 VERNAL POOLSThe Ordinance recognizes Vernal Pools as a protected Wetland Resource Area. The area within 100 feet of the mean […]