The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and implementation
of this bylaw:
ADJACENT UPLAND RESOURCE AREA
Includes all lands with 100 feet of wetland resource areas as enumerated in §
242-2, except for perennial streams and rivers for which the adjacent upland resource area extends for 200 feet from the top of bank, and except for vernal pools and ponds under 10,000 square feet in area for which special adjacent upland resource area definitions are described below.
AGRICULTURE
Any work which produces food or other products for commerce
or subsistence which occurs in, on, or within 100 feet of a resource
area or which is directly or indirectly dependent upon wetlands values
for proper agricultural functions, such as prevention of pollution
or maintenance of adequate water flow for irrigation. Agriculture
includes, but is not limited to, the growing of crops, including cranberries,
and the raising of livestock. Nonagricultural activities in or within
100 feet of resource areas shall not have a significant effect on
existing agriculture.
ALTER
Includes, without limitation, the following activities when
undertaken to, upon, within or affecting resource areas protected
by this bylaw:
(1)
Removal, excavation, or dredging of soil, sand, gravel, or aggregate
materials of any kind.
(2)
Changing of preexisting drainage characteristics, flushing characteristics,
salinity distribution, sedimentation patterns, flow patterns, or flood-retention
characteristics.
(3)
Drainage or other disturbance of water level or water table.
(4)
Dumping, discharging, or filling with any material which may
degrade or otherwise impact water quality.
(5)
Placing of fill, or removal of material, which would alter elevation.
(6)
Driving of piles, erection, expansion or repair of buildings,
or structures of any kind.
(7)
Placing of obstructions or objects in water.
(8)
Destruction of plant life, including cutting or trimming of
trees and shrubs.
(9)
Changing temperature, biochemical oxygen demand, or other physical,
biological, or chemical characteristics of any waters.
(10)
Any activities, changes, or work which may cause or tend to
contribute to pollution of any body of water or groundwater (including
the application of pesticides and herbicides).
(11)
Incremental activities which have, or may have, a cumulative
adverse impact on the resource areas protected by this bylaw.
(12)
Placing of materials which have a reasonable likelihood of contributing
to pollution or of impacting water quality through surface runoff,
groundwater infiltration or airborne transport, including but not
limited to yard and landscaping wastes and debris, slash, soils and
sediments, wood chips, mulch, grit, gravel or other organic and inorganic
materials.
AQUACULTURE
The growing, raising, breeding, storing, or producing of
specified aquatic or marine organisms at specified locations for commercial,
municipal, or scientific purposes as approved by appropriate agencies.
Organisms in aquacultural use include, but are not limited to: shellfish,
such as oysters, quahogs, clams, lobsters, mussels, scallops and crabs;
finfish, such as trout, eel, herring, salmon, smelt and bass; amphibians,
such as frogs; reptiles, such as turtles; seaweeds, such as Irish
moss and dulse; edible freshwater plants, such as watercress; and
plankton grown as a food source for other organisms. Activities in
or within 100 feet of a resource area shall not have a significant
effect on existing permitted aquaculture.
BANK
Includes the land area which normally abuts and confines
a water body, the lower boundary being the mean annual low flow level
and the upper boundary being the first observable break in the slope
or the mean annual flood level, whichever is higher.
PERSON
Includes any individual, group of individuals, association,
partnership, corporation, company, business organization, trust, estate,
the commonwealth or political subdivision thereof to the extent subject
to Town bylaws, administrative agency, public or quasi-public corporation
or body, this municipality, and any other legal entity, its legal
representatives, agents, or assigns.
POND
Shall follow the definition of 310 CMR 10.04 except that
the size threshold of 10,000 square feet shall not apply.
RARE SPECIES
Includes, without limitation, all vertebrate and invertebrate
animal and all plant species listed as endangered, threatened, or
of special concern by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife, regardless of whether the site in which they occur has been
previously identified by the Division.
RECREATION
Any leisure activity or sport taking place in, on, or within
100 feet of a resource area which is dependent on the resource area
and its values directly or indirectly for its conduct and enjoyment.
Recreational activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
noncommercial fishing and shellfishing, hunting, boating, swimming,
walking, painting, bird-watching and aesthetic enjoyment. Structures
and activities in or within 100 feet of a resource area shall not
have a significant effect on public recreational values.
VERNAL POOL
Includes, in addition to scientific definitions found in
the regulations under the Wetlands Protection Act, any confined basin
or depression not occurring in existing lawns, gardens, landscaped
areas or driveways which, at least in most years, holds water for
a minimum of two continuous months during the spring and/or summer,
contains at least 150 cubic feet of water (approximately 1,000 gallons)
at some time during most years, is free of adult predatory fish populations,
and provides essential breeding and rearing habitat functions for
amphibian, reptile or other vernal pool community species, regardless
of whether the site has been certified by the Massachusetts Division
of Fisheries and Wildlife. The boundary of the resource area for vernal
pools shall be 100 feet outward from the mean annual high-water line
defining the depression, but shall not include existing lawns, gardens,
or landscaped or developed areas.