09/07/1989 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes

Home Browse Search

■ MASHPEE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING of SEPTEMBER 7, 1989 Commissioners present: Gertrude Simmons, Joseph Burns, Patrick Coffey, Louie Behrman, Harry De ro iers. Robert Sherman, Conservation Agent and Elizabeth Terry, Associate Member, were present also. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p. . oo New Seabury Corp. - Bufflehead Day, Continued from duly 27. Norman Hayes presenting. Bob Gray of Sabatia and Debbie McCartney of Hayes Engineering were present for the hearing also. Mr. Hayes: At the last meeting the Commission had concerns for additional inform- ation. nform- ation. Under the conclusions in the Sabatia report, they decreed Hayes Engineering did a conservative job of finding the wetland resource areas. There was concern over Dutchmans Droop and Hayes Engineering did redesignate bordering land subject to flooding to land subject to coastal zone flowage to the satisfaction of the Commission. There was concern over the three basins identified as isolated land subject to Flooding. Two of the concerns raised by Sabatia were that there were extensive water-filled ditches in one of the basins and in a policy directive by DE E, now DEP, in a Mashpee case,cranberry bog ditches were defined to be streams and we looked ed at those on behalf of the commission and rendered some opinions, Sabatia also expressed on erin with the omission of the coastal bank on the plans and we, in turn, using the geologists available through the Boston survey -consult- ants and IEP, took a look at those concerns and basically concluded that a coastal ba_pik did exist and that coastal bank was delineated on the plan. In f act, the coastal bank definition was looked at and IEP and DSC geologists thought that because of the obvious increase in sea level perhaps an additional foot should be used to mark the 100 ,year storm event which would have been lI feet; they determined to make it 12, which would give a further additional buffer zone of 100 feet. We also, in somecases', went to the top of the coastal bank and provided a narrative of the function of the coastal bank whether it is a sediment source or to contain storm flood waters. A report was provided to the Commission on these issues. With regard to the isolated land subject to flooding, on two occasions BSC scientists went into the field and walked this area. Based on physical evidence Bund in the field, the extensive ditching referred to in- the Sabatia. report was really only contained in 0% of the basin, being generous, the southeastern, eastern, and northeastern sections. These are roan made ditches and not a ditch by definition, they are made by erosional processes, by running water. They are discontinuous; they are interrupted and they are only remnants of what was irrigation ditches to serve what attempted to be a cranberry bog. Windfalls, trees that were uprooted by storms and fell into ditches, decayed vegetation, shrub growth, has also blocked the ditches. Recognizing that, experiments were conducted in the field which determined there was no hydraulic connection or f I ow within the ditches. They found no outlets and no inlets., They looked for any underground hydraulic connection i .e. a spring or underground water system and found none. In looking at the document given to the Commission, it is hoped the Commission will conclude that the scientific documentation provided shows no hydraulic connection in the creeks and therefore these basins are isolated land subject o flooding.