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44-86 1157 Florence Rd-wetlands notice of intent-2010 Notice of Intent for landscape improvements May 28, 2010 1157 Florence Road, Northampton Page i NEE Project # 10-3572 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................. ........................................................................... 1 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................... ................ 1 3.0WETLAND RESOURCE AREAS ................................................................................................... 1 4.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................ ................................................................................ 2 5.0 SEDIMENTATION AND EROSION CONTROL .............................................................................. 3 6.0 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 3 7.0 REFERENCES ....................................... ...................................................................................... 4 FIGURES Figure 1 USGS Locus Figure 2 Orthophoto Figure 3 Flood Zone Map Figure 4 NHESP Designated Areas APPENDICES Appendix A Affidavit of Service, Notification letter, and List of Abutters Appendix B NOI Wetland Fee Transmittal Form and Copies of Checks Appendix C Representative Photographs PLANS “Notice of Intent, 1157 Florence Road” 5-28-2010 --4 sheets by New England Environmental, Inc. Notice of Intent for landscape improvements May 28, 2010 1157 Florence Road, Northampton Page 1 NEE Project # 10-3572 1.0 INTRODUCTION New England Environmental, Inc. (NEE) has prepared this Notice of Intent (NOI) on behalf of Susan Clopton and John Levine, for landscaping and drainage improvements around their single family home at 1157 Florence Road in Northampton. The proposed work will occur in an area that is currently paved and landscaped, within the 100 foot buffer zones of a Bordering Vegetated Wetland and Bank, and with a portion inside the City of Northampton’s fifty foot non-encroachment zone. No work within any wetland resource area is proposed. This NOI seeks a waiver from the requirements of the non-encroachment zone. A copy of this NOI is being submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in Springfield, MA. Pursuant to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 131, Section 40, and the Northampton Wetlands Ordinance, NEE has notified all abutters located within 100 feet of the property. An affidavit of service, a copy of the letter sent to the abutters, and the list of the abutters is presented in Appendix A. The Wetlands Protection Act filing fee for this project is calculated as $110.00, for work on a singlefamily lot. The NOI Wetland Fee Transmittal Form and copies of the filing fee checks submitted to the City of Northampton and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection are presented in Appendix B. Three checks are included with the paper copy of this NOI delivered to the Conservation Department: $167.50 for the City’s WPA fee share of $67.50 plus the local $100.00 fee, $40.00 for the legal notice, and $75.00 for the Registry of Deeds filing fee. 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION This site is located at 1157 Florence Road in Northampton. The existing house is located in a landscaped yard containing mown lawn and decorative plantings. A paved driveway extends from the garage on the east end of the house to the street. On the north side of the house, beyond the lawn, a shrub thicket and trees extend into a narrow shrub/scrub wetland adjacent to a small intermittent stream. The stream flows westward from a culvert under Florence Road. Figure 1 illustrates a site locus for the property on the USGS topographic map. Figure 2 is an aerial photograph of the property in 2006. 3.0WETLAND RESOURCE AREAS New England Environmental, Inc., (NEE) completed the wetlands delineation at 1157 Florence Road in 2004, and the delineation was approved in Orders of Conditions for previous work in 2005 and 2008. The following wetland types are in the vicinity of the proposed work: • Bordering Vegetated Wetland, and • Bank. Notice of Intent for landscape improvements May 28, 2010 1157 Florence Road, Northampton Page 2 NEE Project # 10-3572 No other wetland resources were found at this site. The Flood Insurance Rate Map for the area shows no land subject to the 100 year flood nearby (see Figure 3). Also, the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, as found on MassGIS (see Figure 4), shows no area of Estimated Habitat of Rare Wildlife or Certified Vernal Pools near the project. Bordering Vegetated Wetland A Bordering Vegetated Wetland (BVW) on the south side of the stream was delineated by flags A-5 to A-15 (see plans). This is primarily a shrub/scrub wetland with a few trees, extending into the open lawn and meadow beyond flag A-13. Shrubs include Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus), Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum), Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Morrow’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), and Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis). Bordering Vegetated Wetlands have a 100 foot buffer zone. No alteration of BVW is proposed as part of this project. Bank Bank is found along the intermittent stream on the northern edge of the property. The stream enters the site from a culvert under Florence Road. Flags A-1 to A-4 mark the top of the Bank from the culvert to the point at which a narrow band of wetland vegetation develops at the edge of the stream. This stretch of Bank is an eroded channel up to four feet below the surface of the surrounding land. Bank was not separately delineated below flag A-4, because it was within another resource area. The channel eventually spreads and becomes more shallow downslope, and loses definition. Bank has a 100 foot buffer zone. No alteration of Bank is proposed. 4.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed project is driven by the necessity of connecting to the sewer main along Florence Road, and discontinuing use of the existing septic system. As excavation will be required, the homeowners are hoping to take the opportunity to reconfigure their driveway, improve drainage patterns next to their home, rejuvenate old gardens, and create new gardens. Photographs of areas proposed for alteration are included in Appendix C. The driveway will be reshaped and repaved. A turnaround area will be added to allow vehicles to turn before driving uphill toward the road. Drainage will be directed to a new vegetated swale leading around the south side of the house, with two wider rain garden basins for infiltration. A swale to intercept runoff upgradient of the driveway will be created, directing runoff to the north side of the garage. There, a new rain garden is proposed. The last section of the drainage swale and Notice of Intent for landscape improvements May 28, 2010 1157 Florence Road, Northampton Page 3 NEE Project # 10-3572 the rain garden are within the City of Northampton 50-foot non-encroachment zone, and are currently mown lawn. Some of the existing shrubs south of the house will be removed and replaced with native species. Plants selected for the drainage swale and rain gardens are all native species. Portions of the driveway, the existing septic system, the proposed new sewer system, the new gardens, and the excavation and regrading associated with this work are located within the 100 foot buffer zone. Non-encroachment zone waiver request The applicant seeks a waiver from the requirements of the non-encroachment zone because the proposed work will improve existing conditions. The project will direct clean runoff to the north side of the existing garage, where it will be allowed to infiltrate in a new rain garden. Creation of the rain garden will convert an area of existing mown lawn to a garden of native herbaceous plants, ferns, and shrubs. These plants will be selected to be tolerant of wet soil conditions. The surface runoff to be diverted to this area will not be stormwater from Florence Road or the driveway. It will be clean rainwater running off the vegetated slope between the road and the house. The purpose of creating a swale to intercept this water is to keep it from running across the driveway. The vegetated swale and the rain garden will keep it clean and allow it to infiltrate. The benefit to the adjacent wetland is that groundwater levels will be augmented, a more diverse plant community will be established within the buffer zone, and wildlife habitat will be improved. 5.0 SEDIMENTATION AND EROSION CONTROL The proposed erosion control barrier for this project is a silt fence, staked and anchored in the ground, within mown lawn (see plan sheet LS-2). This protection will be in place prior to any construction work begins, and will serve as the limit of the work area. It will remain in place until all work is complete, and disturbed surfaces have been revegetated. Extra erosion control materials will be maintained on site during construction for any needed repairs or additions. Soil lodged against the silt fence when it is removed, will be disposed of in vegetated upland areas. 6.0 SUMMARY This Notice of Intent proposes site improvements to an existing single family home at 1157 Florence Road, in association with replacement of an existing septic system with a sewer connection. Work is proposed within the 100 foot buffer zone associated with a nearby intermittent stream and adjacent wetlands, with a portion of the work within the City of Northampton 50 foot non-encroachment zone. The applicant seeks a waiver from the requirements of the non-encroachment zone because the proposed work will improve existing conditions. The project will include three new rain gardens. An erosion control barrier will be in place between the work areas and wetlands, so that the project will have no adverse effects upon wetland resources during construction. Notice of Intent for landscape improvements May 28, 2010 1157 Florence Road, Northampton Page 4 NEE Project # 10-3572 7.0 REFERENCES Federal Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), Federal Insurance Administration, National Flood Insurance Program. 1978. Flood Insurance Rate Map, City of Northampton, Massachusetts, Hampshire County, Community Panel Number 250167 0001A. Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas 2008 Edition. Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (with 2009 updates on MassGIS). MassGIS, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. WPA Form 5 – Order of Conditions, 1157 Florence Road. Northampton Conservation Commission. 2008. Notice of Intent Clopton-Levine Residence Project No. 10-3572 1157 Florence Road May 28, 2010 Photo Page Florence Photograph 1: The existing driveway near the front entrance. Note drainage pooling near the entrance. In order to install the sewer line, land near the photographer will be excavated, and juniper bushes will be removed. A drainage swale and rain garden are proposed for this area. Photograph 2: The north side of the house. A rain garden in an area of existing lawn is proposed in front of the trees, north of the garage. BVW is to the left in this photo.