CONCORD, Mass. – Mr. Geoffrey Rockwell, of Arlington, Massachusetts, 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 deepening the existing Rockwell Pond in Hampden, Massachusetts. The proposed work involves grading and the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into approximately 3.3 acres of the Rockwell Pond, the Scantic River and Rock-A-Dundee Brook as part of deepening the existing Rockwell Pond.
Rockwell Pond is an in-river impoundment located on the Scantic River. The purpose of this project is to remove 4 to 8 feet of accumulated sediment from the pond in order to improve recreational uses (boating and fishing). The applicant proposes to dewater the pond using stilling basins and bypass pumps so that the sediment removal operations can be done ''in the dry.''
Standard earth-moving equipment, such as excavators and bulldozers, will be used to remove the accumulated sediments, to stockpile materials for further dewatering, and/or to load materials onto dump trucks. The applicant will install a temporary 15-foot wide construction roadway to access Rockwell Pond. Approximately 20,500 cubic yards of accumulated sediment (sands, silts, and organic mucks) will be permanently disposed of at an on-site upland disposal area.
As part of the development of plans for this pond deepening project, the applicant has adjusted the scope of this project to avoid and minimize impacts to important environmental areas (turtle habitat), where possible. The Corps continues to evaluate whether mitigation will be required in order to compensate for unavoidable impacts associated with this project.
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. The public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work, can be viewed on the Corps website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices/.
Public comments on this work proposed by Mr. Geoffrey Rockwell (file # NAE-2019-1316) should be forwarded no later than Dec. 13, 2019 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Paul Sneeringer), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Paul Sneeringer at 978-318-8491 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: paul.j.sneeringer@usace.army.mil