Flooding Plagues Region Tennessee Gas Proposes 7.8 Mile Pipeline
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Currents A Publication of the Saugus River Watershed Council Volume 15 No.2, Spring 2006 Flooding Plagues Region Tennessee Gas Proposes 7.8 Mile Pipeline The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company has proposed construct- ing a new 7.81 mile gas pipeline through Saugus, Wakefield and Lynnfield. If implemented as proposed, the project would have a significant negative impact on natural resources in the Saugus River watershed. Overall the project would affect 28.8 acres of forested land, 25.3 acres of wet- lands, and 19.4 acres of open land. The project would have a significant impact on several important natural resource areas including the main stem of the Saugus River, Breakheart Reserva- tion in Saugus, the Reedy Meadow Photo credit: Curtis White, National Park Service National Natural Landmark, and Shown here, the Saugus River expanded beyond its banks flooding portions of the Golden Hills Area of Critical the Saugus Iron Works. Under normal conditions, the river runs in a Environmental Concern. channel adjacent to the trees shown in rear of this photo. May 14, 2006. The Saugus River Watershed Council will submit comments This May, New England faced one While many local businesses were throughout the environmental of the worst flooding events in history, up and running days after the waters permitting process in an effort to with rivers and streams throughout receded, some roadway and other protect natural resources in our the region expanding over their banks infrastructure repairs will take months watershed. The Council recently flooding roadways, homes and to complete. v submitted a comment letter businesses. regarding the Environmental In this watershed, the Saugus River, Notification Form filed with the Walden Pond, and smaller streams, Inside this Issue Massachusetts Executive Office of flooded out numerous roadways such Environmental Affairs. as Route 1, the Lynn Fells Parkway, Editorial..............................Page 2 One of the Council’s primary Hamilton Street, Water Street and recommendations is that Tennes- Central Street. Flooding caused both Fish Monitoring Project......Page 3 see Gas Pipeline Company iden- short and long-term damage to many tify alternative routes wherever homes, vehicles, businesses, bridges Youth Education.................Page 4 possible to reduce and/or mini- and roadways. mize impacts to natural resources With sewer and storm drain Around the Watershed.......Page 5 in the Saugus River watershed. As systems beyond their capacity, the currently proposed, the project Lincoln Avenue pumping station River Night 2006................Page 6 follows the New England Power dumped sewage into the Saugus River Company easement and would for several days. In addition, local BJ’s Wholesale Warehouse..Page 7 significantly alter the natural sewer lines in many communities resource areas noted above. backed up through manholes in some Saugus River Picnic & locations contributing bacteria to flood Children’s Festival..............Page 7 ....Continued on page 4 waters in roadways and homes. Editorial: Recent Flooding Highlights Lobstermen’s Landing Need for “Low Impact Development” (LID) The Town of Saugus is propos- ing major improvements to the The recent floods throughout New River to the City of Lynn’s drinking landside facilities and docks at England have raised significant water reservoir system. Lobstermen’s Landing in Saugus. questions about the reality of plan- Incorporating “Low Impact The Saugus River Watershed ning for major storm events during Development” (LID) techniques Council submitted comments the environmental permitting when planning for development of during the permitting process in process for development. this and other major sites in the support of the project, noting the Debates will go on about whether watershed would help alleviate need to protect the river channel the recent rainstorm should be flooding and enhance important from debris during construction considered a 100-year rain storm or buffer zones and natural resources in work, and enhance interpretive something more. However it is the Saugus River watershed. information at Vitale Park about defined, the May 2006 floods high- Conventional development the natural resources and history v lighted the need for local, state and techniques often clear trees and of the Saugus River. federal environmental permitting valuable topsoil from a site and re- agencies to be more vigilant in grade it so that all water ends up in a requiring developers to meet high large detention basin. Resulting Saugus River standards for managing stormwater problems include loss of recharge, pollution and water volume. increased water temperature, de- Historic encroachment onto creased water quality and higher vegetated buffer zones along the runoff volumes. Saugus River, as well as wetlands The LID approach, on the other such as Reedy Meadow and Rumney hand, protects the natural ability of Watershed Council Marsh, has decreased the ability of the site to capture precipitation, keep these areas to provide important it clean and allow it to recharge the Board of Directors flood storage capacity. local water table. This is achieved by Lisa Capone-Condon, Co-President While it is difficult to go back and applying a suite of tools including: 1) Frank Ricciardi, Co-President change already developed parcels, planning to preserve and create Doug Heath, Vice President there is still ample opportunity natural features, 2) landscaping to Mary Kinsell, Treasurer within the Saugus River watershed enhance buffer zones and create Dan Burgess to increase flood storage capacity natural filters, 3) using vegetation to Pam Burgess associated with new developments. slow runoff rates, and 4) reducing Denise Butler For example, the 200+ acre impervious surfaces. David Eatough property (current location of The Massachusetts Executive Ann Farrell Sheraton Colonial Hotel and golf Office of Environmental Affairs has Kory Hellmer course) in Lynnfield and Wakefield created an excellent on-line resource Jim Hohmann has recently been sold and will be at www.mass.gov/envir/lid. The Joe James redeveloped over the next few years. site provides case studies, sample Carl King Dick Lynch The future development of this site is local by-laws, and informational Bob McLaughlin particularly important because it brochures. Incorporating these Debra Panetta abuts the Reedy Meadow National innovative approaches in our water- Tom Pawlina Natural Landmark and the Saugus shed could help prevent future Walt Silva River. The site is also adjacent to the problems similar to those caused by Bob Smith Lynn Water and Sewer Commission the May 2006 rainstorms. Kathy Wrynn Dam and Hawkes Brook which Staff transports water from the Saugus Joan LeBlanc ❖ Joan LeBlanc Executive Director What is LID? Low Impact Development is an approach to environmentally friendly land Currents is published by the Saugus River Watershed Council. Materials in use planning. It includes a suite of landscaping and design techniques Currents may be reprinted with that attempt to maintain the natural, pre-developed ability of a site to permission from the SRWC. manage rainfall. LID techniques capture water on site, filter it through Saugus River Watershed Council vegetation, and let it soak into the ground where it can recharge the local P.O. Box 1092, Saugus, MA 01906 water table rather than being lost as surface runoff. An important LID 781-233-5046 [email protected] principle includes the idea that stormwater is not merely a waste product www.saugusriver.org to be disposed of, but rather that rainwater is a resource. 2 2006 Fish Monitoring Project Saugus River Fyke Net Sampling Results 2006 2005 rainbow smelt 1,412 138 white perch 64 12 alewife 3 11 blueback herring 1 0 American eel 12 8 fourspine stickleback 243 185 threespine stickleback 95 65 mummichog 265 20 yellow perch 26 47 white sucker 37 37 redfin pickerel 4 4 golden shiner 1 0 crayfish 0 1 From left, Brad Chase and Matt Ayer of the Division of Marine Total Catch: 2,163 528 Fisheries identify and measure fish from the Saugus River, March 2006. This spring, the Saugus River ing smelt, the project also provides the population of juvenile (or glass) Watershed Council worked in partner- some information regarding the eels found in the Saugus River. That ship with the Massachusetts Division diversity of species found in the program will continue during June of Marine Fisheries, the Saugus Iron Saugus River. This year’s results with results to be published in the Works National Historic Site, and the continued to show that the Saugus summer newsletter. Corporate Wetlands Partnership to River provides important habitat for a Special thanks to all of the staff at conduct the second year of our Saugus range of species including, smelt, the Division of Marine Fisheries, and River fish monitoring project. white perch, alewife, American eel, the Saugus Iron Works for making this From 8 March 2006 through 19 May fourspine and threespine sticklebacks, project possible. We also appreciate 2006, a fyke net was set in the main mummichog, yellow perch and white support from the Corporate Wetlands stem of the Saugus River. Staff and sucker. Program and contributions of many volunteers checked the net four days In addition to the fyke net sampling volunteers who assisted with field v each week to identify and count fish. project, an eel trap was used to assess work. The fyke net sampling program is aimed at identifying the presence and size of rainbow smelt population in the Saugus River. This spring, 1,412 rainbow smelt were identified, measured and the released back into the Saugus River. These results show a marked increase from 2005 when 138 rainbow smelt were caught in the river under a similar sampling regime. Rainbow smelt, which were recently designated by the state as a Species of Special Concern, are a diadromous species that travel up the Saugus River to spawn along gravel bottom portions of the river bed. From left, SRWC Director Joan LeBlanc and Michelle Blees of Although the sampling program is the National Park Service check eel trap along Saugus River, targeted toward catching and releas- May 2006.