CONCORD, Mass. – Wallingford Group, LLC is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District for impacts to waters of the U.S. in conjunction with constructing a box culvert in Wallingford, Conn. The work is in Padens Brook, at 59 and 65 North Plains Highway in Wallingford. Padens Brook is a direct tributary to the Quinnipiac River.
The applicant has requested after-the-fact authorization to maintain fill in Padens Brook associated with the installation of a box culvert. Work on-site was initiated on March 21, 2014, and includes the discharge of fill material into Padens Brook for the construction of a 160-foot-long by 12-foot-wide by 6-foot-high box culvert (207 cubic yards below the ordinary high water elevation of Padens Brook), the backfilling of the culvert, and realignment of the perennial stream channel as well as the construction of an upstream headwall (2 cubic yards below OHW), downstream headwall (3 cubic yards), upstream wing walls (12 cubic yards below the OHW), and downstream wing walls (13 cubic yards below the OHW).
Following construction, the town of Wallingford identified that the box culvert was installed at an elevation higher than the streambed, and required that rock be discharged immediately upstream of the culvert to elevate the streambed and prevent undercutting of the structure. Approximately 7 cubic yards of rock were discharged within the upstream plunge pool to elevate the streambed as well as to provide erosion protection along the toe of slope. Similarly, approximately 21 cubic yards of rock were installed within the downstream plunge pool for erosion protection and to raise the streambed to the installed culvert height.
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 work, can be viewed on the Corps website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
Public comments on this work by Wallingford Group, LLC (file #NAE-2014-00638) should be forwarded no later than Aug. 14, 2015 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Megan Bishop), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Megan Bishop at 978-318-8976 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: megan.o.bishop@usace.army.mil.