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Massachusetts Electric Company seeks Corps permit to place fill to repair culvert, headwall in North Andover

Published Dec. 23, 2014

CONCORD, Mass. – The Massachusetts Electric Company, doing business as National Grid, is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with repairing a culvert and headwall and doing other work in North Andover, Mass.

 

The Massachusetts Electric Company is proposing to discharge 1,892.5 square feet of fill material below the ordinary high water (OHW) of an unnamed perennial stream associated with repairs to an existing culvert and headwall, and removal of one coniferous tree. Culvert 1 has been in place for 60 years and is extensively corroded and deformed. The project proposes to slip line the existing 66-inch CMP culvert with a 54-inch Innerflow high-density polyethylene culvert.

 

Work within the stream bed will be limited to placing a support structure in stream to slip the pipe, and all other equipment and materials will be lowered into the work area from a stabilized construction entrance. Flow through the existing pipe will continue throughout the slip lining process with no diversion required. Water exiting the construction site will then flow through a siltation curtain where it will be filtered before reintroduction to the undisturbed reach of the area. The headwall at the outlet of culvert 2 is constructed out of boulders and due to the settlement and shifting of these stones, the ground behind the headwall has subsided, leaving holes and gaps behind the wall.

 

The construction equipment for this repair will be situated within a 16-foot by 32-foot primary work area consisting of swamp mats and encircled by weed free bales and silt fence. A siltation curtain also will be provided immediately below the headwall. No in-water work will be required. The coniferous tree will be removed from the wetland by hand to avoid heavy machinery near the wetlands. The stump will be left in place. The total proposed impact, 1,892.5 square feet, is related to the repairs of Culvert 1.

 

Although this project may have only minimal impacts and may be eligible for authorization under the current Massachusetts General Permit, the work is not expected to begin until after the General Permit expires on Jan. 20, 2015. The applicant is seeking an individual permit to allow for a full five years in which to complete the work.

                                         

The public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work by the Massachusetts Electric Company, can be viewed on the Corps website at:  http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx. The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands. 

 

Public comments on this work proposed by the Massachusetts Electric Company (file # NAE-2014-02154) should be forwarded no later than Jan. 22, 2015 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Lindsey Lefebvre), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Lindsey Lefebvre at 978-318-8295 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: lindsey.e.lefebvre@usace.army.mil.


Contact
Tim Dugan
978-318-8264
cenae-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 2014-153