Horsley Witten Group Sustainable Environmental Solutions 90 Route 6A • Sandwich, MA • 02563 Phone - 508-833-6600 • Fax - 508-833-3150 • www.horsleywitten.com Town of Scituate Open Space and Recreation Plan February 2009 Prepared for: Town of Scituate Town Hall 600 C.J.Cushing Hwy. Scituate, MA 02066 Submitted by: Horsley Witten Group, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: PLAN SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 1 SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Statement of Purpose ...................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Planning Process and Public Participation...................................................................... 2 SECTION 3: COMMUNITY SETTING....................................................................................... 3 3.1 Regional Context............................................................................................................3 3.1.1 Regional Coastal Resources ....................................................................................... 3 3.1.2 Regional Water Supply Resources.............................................................................. 5 3.1.3 Regional Planning and Scituate’s Future................................................................... 5 3.2 History of the Community .............................................................................................. 5 3.2.1 Pre - European Contact: The Native Americans ........................................................ 6 3.2.2 English Settlement through Nineteenth Century......................................................... 6 3.2.3 A Summer Vacation Destination: Late Nineteenth to Twentieth Century ................. 7 3.2.4 A Bedroom Community: Mid-Twentieth Century to Today ....................................... 7 3.3 Population Characteristics.............................................................................................. 8 3.3.1 Population Trends....................................................................................................... 8 3.3.2 Age Distribution of Population................................................................................... 8 3.3.3 Comparative Age Distribution.................................................................................... 9 3.3.4 Population Projections ............................................................................................... 9 3.3.5 Population Density.................................................................................................... 10 3.3.6 Household Income .................................................................................................... 11 3.3.8 Recent Trends in Open Space Preservation and New Recreation Facilities............ 13 3.4 Growth & Development Patterns.................................................................................. 13 3.4.1 Patterns and Trends in Development........................................................................ 13 3.4.2 Trends in Total Land Use ......................................................................................... 15 3.5 Infrastructure................................................................................................................. 16 3.5.1 Transportation system............................................................................................... 16 3.6 Public Water Supply System ........................................................................................ 16 3.6.1 Public Water Supply Wells........................................................................................ 16 3.7 Public Reservoir............................................................................................................ 17 3.7.1 Adequacy of Water Supply........................................................................................ 18 3.7.2 Sewer Service............................................................................................................ 18 3.8 Long Term Development Patterns................................................................................ 19 3.8.1 Local Land Use Controls.......................................................................................... 19 3.8.2 Proposed Development - 2000 to 2008..................................................................... 20 3.8.3 Build-out Projections................................................................................................ 22 3.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 23 SECTION 4: ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS ...................................... 24 4.1 Geology, Soils, and Topography .................................................................................. 24 4.1.1 Bedrock Geology....................................................................................................... 24 4.1.2 Surficial Geology ...................................................................................................... 24 4.1.3 Soils........................................................................................................................... 25 4.1.4 Distribution of Soil Associations .............................................................................. 27 4.1.5 Septic Disposal Suitability ........................................................................................ 27 4.1.6 Farmlands................................................................................................................. 27 4.2 Landscape Character..................................................................................................... 28 4.2.1 Landscape Preservation............................................................................................ 29 4.2.2 Cultural Landscapes of Scituate ............................................................................... 30 4.3 Water Resources........................................................................................................... 30 4.3.1 Coastal Water Resources.......................................................................................... 33 4.3.2 Surface Water Resources .......................................................................................... 35 4.3.3 Groundwater Resources............................................................................................ 35 4.3.4 Watersheds................................................................................................................ 37 4.3.5 Floodplains ............................................................................................................... 40 4.3.6 Wetlands.................................................................................................................... 42 4.4 Vegetation..................................................................................................................... 42 4.4.1 Unique Plant Species ................................................................................................ 44 4.5 Wildlife and Fisheries................................................................................................... 44 4.5.1 Wildlife...................................................................................................................... 44 4.5.2 Fisheries.................................................................................................................... 48 4.6 Scenic Resources and Unique Areas......................................................................... 49 4.6.1 Scenic Resources....................................................................................................... 49 4.6.2 Cultural and Historic Areas...................................................................................... 51 4.6.3 Unique Environments................................................................................................ 52 4.7 Environmental Challenges............................................................................................ 54 SECTION 5: INVENTORY OF LANDS OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION INTEREST............................................................................................................ 59 5.1 Town Land Use............................................................................................................. 61 5.2 Private Lands................................................................................................................ 61 5.2.1 State-Assessed Agricultural and Forested Land....................................................... 62 5.2.2 Areas Significant for Water Resource Protection..................................................... 64 5.2.3 Priority Areas for Protection of Rare Species and Exemplary Natural . Communities ................................................................................................................................... 65 5.2.4 Private Recreation Lands ......................................................................................... 66 5.3 Public and Nonprofit Lands.......................................................................................... 67 5.3.1 Public Open Space Land..........................................................................................