Sharon GCS Progress Report 30 June 2012 Table of Contents
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Restoration and Revitalization Of the Sharon Great Cedar Swamp Progress Report Requested by: Sharon Conservation Commission Prepared by: Peter C. Fletcher, Aimlee D. Laderman, and Pamela T. Polloni June 2012 Sharon GCS Progress Report 30 June 2012 Table of Contents I. Preface: ...............................................................................................................................................................3 II. Introduction: .......................................................................................................................................................4 III. Personnel and Partnerships............................................................................................................................7 IV. Significance of this Project: ............................................................................................................................9 A. Importance of the protected and restored Cedar Swamp to the residents of Sharon9 B. Importance of the GCS to neighboring towns and the State ......................................................... 12 V. Overview of completed and ongoing projects ................................................................................................ 15 A. Vegetation and wildlife studies ...................................................................................................... 15 B. Soil Investigations ........................................................................................................................... 17 1. Soil Conditions within Section 1 of the GCS: ........................................................................................... 17 2. Soil Conditions within Sections 2 and 3 of the GCS ................................................................................. 18 3. Soil Transect Measuring the Depth of Organic Material ......................................................................... 18 C. Groundwater Monitoring Program ................................................................................................ 19 D. Ongoing Groundwater Monitoring of Well Transects Along Ditch: ............................................... 19 E. Monitoring of flows within the drainage ditch .............................................................................. 20 F. Ongoing mosquito monitoring and investigation .......................................................................... 23 G. Horsley Witten Group Study/Report .............................................................................................. 25 H. Groundwater Quality Analysis ........................................................................................................ 35 VI. Recommended Actions Needed by the Town of Sharon ............................................................................ 37 A. Develop and implement a maintenance plan for the drainage ditch: ........................................... 37 B. Reduce groundwater discharge into the ditch and rehydrate portions of the Swamp: ................ 38 C. Evaluation of three options: ........................................................................................................... 38 1. Stone rip rap check dam: ......................................................................................................................... 38 2. Water Control Structure: ......................................................................................................................... 41 3. Buried Culvert: ......................................................................................................................................... 42 D. Collect Baseline Data and Continue Groundwater Monitoring:..................................................... 44 VII. References ................................................................................................................................................... 46 VIII. Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 47 A. Purinton, T. MA Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) Project Participation ............................ 47 B. Summary of Groundwater Mapping for the Sharon Great Cedar Swamp Restoration Project ..... 48 1 Sharon GCS Progress Report 30 June 2012 List of Figures Figure 1. Sharon Great Cedar Swamp and surrounding streets, aerial view. .............................................................4 Figure 2. Ditch at the western edge of GCS, in wooded area . ...................................................................................5 Figure 3. Healthy Atlantic White Cedar swamp (left); drained/degraded Atlantic White Cedar swamp (right). ......6 Figure 4. Federal, State and regional partners at a GCS site visit conducted by the Technical Team. ......................8 Figure 5. April 7, 2010 Groundwater flow directions from Sharon GCS. .............................................................. 10 Figure 6. August 10, 2010 Groundwater flow directions from Sharon GCS. ......................................................... 10 Figure 7. Groundwater flow from the Sharon GCS to Lake Massapoag ..................................................................12 Figure 8. Groundwater flow from the Sharon GCS to the Taunton River and Neponset River watersheds ........... 12 Figure 9. Sharon GCS and Sub-basins of the Taunton River (west) and Neponset River (east) watersheds. ......... 13 Figure 10. Sharon GCS and vicinity, USGS Topo. Map showing Sections 1,2 and 3. ........................................ 14 Figure 11. Fallen AWC in drained area east of Sunset Drive (Section 1). ...............................................................15 Figure 12. Late spring view of AWC swamp with normal groundwater elevation (Section 2). ............................. 15 Figure 13. Regenerating AWC and blossoming leatherleaf (foreground, Section 3). ............................................. 16 Figure 14. Exposed AWC roots indicate severe soil subsidence near the ditch. ..................................................... 17 Figure 15. Depth of organic matter in Sharon GCS on transect along east side of RR bed. ................................... 18 Figure 16. Groundwater monitoring wells established in Sharon GCS and Sharon Heights. ................................ 19 Figure 17. Normal flow within the ditch. ................................................................................................................ 20 Figure 18. Stormwater flow within the ditch, March 2010 ..................................................................................... 20 Figure 19. Wolomolopoag Street RIFLS Monitoring Site. ..................................................................................... 21 Figure 20. Precipitation and Wolomolopoag St. discharge measurements 2008 - 2011 ......................................... 22 Figure 21. Gravid Trap for adult mosquitoes. ......................................................................................................... 22 Figure 22. Typical crypt monitored for C. melanura larvae.................................................................................... 22 Figure 23. Norfolk County Mosquito Control District (NCMCD) 2012 monitoring sites in GCS. ........................ 22 Figure 24. Monitoring Well locations in western Sharon Great Cedar Swamp. ..................................................... 31 Figure 25. Ground elevations in Sharon GCS ......................................................................................................... 32 Figure 26. Groundwater elevations 7 April 2010. ................................................................................................... 33 Figure 27. Groundwater elevations 10 August 2010. ............................................................................................. 34 Figure 28. Monitoring wells sampled for groundwater analysis. ............................................................................ 36 Figure 29. Undermined banks and trees collapsed into the ditch. ........................................................................... 37 Figure 30. Cross section of ditch showing direction of groundwater discharge through sands and gravels into the deepened drainage ditch. ......................................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 31. Drainage ditch as excavated and deepened. ........................................................................................... 39 Figure 32. Stone rip rap check dam placed within the ditch ................................................................................... 39 Figure 33. Close-up view showing effect of stone rip rap check dam. ................................................................... 39 Figure 34. Series of check dams slowing flow with stepped effect. ........................................................................ 40 Figure 35 Aluminum water control structure .......................................................................................................... 41 Figure 36. Water control structure placed in the ditch. ........................................................................................... 42 Figure 37. Buried water-tight culvert placed within deepened portion of the ditch. ............................................