The Reading Post accepts Letters to the Editor. All letters must be signed. The Reading Post reserves the right to edit or not publish any letters received. Letters do not represent the views or opinions of the Post. editor@thereadingpost.com
I am responding to comments made by Metro Tech attorney Julie Barry in an article on the front page of the February 22nd edition of the Wakefield Daily Item. This article covered the previous night’s meeting of the Wakefield Conservation Commission and its review of a Notice of Intent for the new Voke. The Con Com raised the topic of water sampling of wetlands. Until recently, no water-quality measurements had been taken by anyone. Attorney Barry claimed that I “took samples” on “private” NEMT land and lacked permission to do so.
To clarify, I did not take any samples. Rather, I used a professional probe called a YSI 85 meter to measure specific conductivity which gives an indication of salinity. These measurements are important to determine baseline water-quality conditions before construction of the new school. The location of testing was near, but outside of, the border of the NEMT land where a small stream flows from the largest wetland in the hilltop forest into a culvert. It then flows underground to the Mill River, a tributary of the Saugus River. Measured at just 1.5 micro-siemens per centimeter specific conductance, this water quality is currently excellent, indicating that the hilltop-forest wetlands are in a natural, high-quality condition.
Regarding attorney Barry’s claim that I trespassed, she neglected to acknowledge that school districts such as this are public land owned by taxpayers. If I am wrong about this, please show proof that such land is not public. In fact, the Breakheart Reservation border lies about 165 feet beyond the Wakefield Gate. So, is attorney Barry saying that everyone who walks in Breakheart from this entrance is trespassing and needs permission to enter?
I welcome attorney Barry’s offer to conduct water testing. If the project proponents do this testing, the methods and criteria need to be described in a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and approved by the US EPA. For example, the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC) does such testing in the watershed regularly and follows procedures spelled out in an EPA-approved QAPP. As an environmental scientist and the Vice President of the SRWC, I have done a lot of this testing over the years.
Last night’s meeting focused on the potential impact of salty stormwater flowing into the wetlands from the proposed parking lot and access road for the new school, which together cover over two acres. The project proponents agreed with the Con Com that chloride-based salts should not be used as they will kill fresh-water plants and organisms in the wetlands. The use of sand without salt was also mentioned. However, this is not an option as sand will flow into the wetlands and harm the aquatic plants and organisms. The sand will also reduce the effectiveness of the proposed stormwater drainage system by clogging filters designed to remove nutrients.
As well as road salt, the Con Com should consider potential impacts to wetlands and vernal pools from prolonged blasting of bedrock. There are many unknowns about how this will change bedrock hydrology and wetland hydraulics. Many of these changes won’t be known until blasting has occurred. This blasting entails use of explosives, which contain chemicals that will likely contaminate groundwater, which in the bedrock underlying the hilltop forest flows in fractures, as well as contaminate water flowing off the site.
I emphasize my concern, shared by Tyler Ferrick at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), that discharging stormwater to a certified vernal pool/habitat and to high-quality wetlands may irreparably damage these sensitive ecosystems. Specifically, we are both concerned with the project’s ability to comply with Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards for chloride and the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA).
So, my plea to attorney Barry and the people she represents: Don’t destroy the wetlands, rocks and forest! Build the new school on existing playing fields, which most people thought they voted for. Attorney Barry represents the NEMT Building Committee, but who, if not us, will be the voice of this majestic forest that has stood for thousands of years?
Douglas Heath, MS Hydrology
Certified Hydrogeologist
