CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Town of Monterey, Massachusetts
MEETING DATE: 9/10/13
Present: Richard Andrus, David Dempsey, Christopher Blair and Betty Pixley
The meeting convened at 6:00p.m.
Hume – 73 Chestnut Hill Rd – NOI – seven foot drawdown of Stedman Pond for dam repairs & improvements and Hume – 73 Chestnut Hill Rd – SMA NOI – SMA13-02 (B. Pixley is the project manager)
These hearings will be continued to the October meeting at the representative’s written request.
Members of the Lake Buel District (Paula Hatch and Kyle Pierce) came in to talk with the Commission about the timing of Lake Garfield drawdown. The Commission stated that there is an existing Order of Conditions for the drawdown of Lake Garfield that starts each year on October 15th and ends in mid-February (dam is closed in December per the OOC). Paula stated that Lake Garfield is upstream of Lake Buel and when Garfield is being drawdown and 1-2 other conditions occur at the same time (already high water conditions at Buel and large amounts of rain) it is devastating for Lake Buel.
Paula felt it is imperative for the residents of Lake Buel that the Commission understands that when heavy weather is predicted and Buel is high, someone needs to check on these factors before water is released at the dam at Lake Garfield. Even if there isn’t heavy weather if Buel is high there could be ramifications of opening the dam. The Commission stated that during the drawdown period members of the Lake Buel District should be in contact with the Director of Operations who handles the opening and closing of the dam. Kyle stated that when they went to the Director of Operations he told them he had to follow what was written in the OOC. The Commission will follow up with the Director of Operations thru the Select Board regarding trying harder to work with the residents of Lake Buel when
coordinating drawdown. Paula added that Lake Buel is a catch basin for the entire watershed.
Paula suggested that a process that could work is if she was contacted (as the President of the Prudential Committee) prior to drawdown beginning, she could designate someone as a contact person to monitor the level of Lake Buel. The Prudential Committee would prefer that drawdown begin in November as there is usually quite a large amount of rain in October and the weather can be unpredictable or to make the initial stages of drawdown slower. The Commission stated that it begins in Oct. to manage invasive weeds, allow residents of Lake Garfield to get their docks out of the water before the ice forms (which happens quickly on Garfield) as well as to allow the critters to slowly build their new homes in the mud.
The Commission also noted that this OOC will need to be renewed soon and members of the Lake Buel Prudential Committee should plan to attend that hearing to add input on the effects to that lake.
Luxenberg – 19 Corashire Rd – remove 12” culvert & replace (R. Andrus is the project manager)
Per DEP the Commission reopened this hearing and the Determination of Applicability was reissued as an N2.
For Discussion:
1. Mail was reviewed.
2. Minutes from 7/9 & 8/13/13 were approved as written.
Meeting adjourned at 7:00pm
Submitted by: Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
cc: Conservation Commission Board Members
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