Article V: Filing Fees and Requirements

Preamble.

Any person filing an application for permit, request for determination or abbreviated notice of resource area delineation pursuant to the bylaw shall, at the same time, pay a filing fee in accordance with the filing fee schedule.

(2)

If the project is other than an addition or alteration to a one-family or two-family dwelling or related parking structures, the person shall agree, in writing, to pay the fees, costs, and expenses of any expert consultant deemed necessary by the Commission to review the application for permit, request for determination or abbreviated notice of resource area delineation.

(3)

Municipal projects are exempt from these requirements.

Permit fee schedules.

(1)

(2)

A copy of the filing fee schedule is posted on the Conservation Commission website or may be obtained by contacting the Commission. The fees required under the bylaw are in addition to the Town share of the Wetlands Protection Act filing fees.

(3)

Filing fees are due upon submittal of an application for permit, request for determination or abbreviated notice of resource area delineation.

§ 330-28 Requirements.

General. Plans shall describe the proposed activity and its effect on the environment. All plans, drawing, sketches, and calculations shall be dated and signed by the person responsible for their preparation. Plans and drawings involving the practice of surveying or engineering shall be stamped and signed by a professional surveyor or engineer registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, if required by the Commission. Plans shall be consistent with those submitted to the Board of Appeals, Planning Board and/or Board of Health. It is not anticipated that minor projects on existing lots would be required to submit detailed engineering plans. Informal consultations with the Commission regarding the applicability of these requirements for a project are encouraged.

Plan requirements. The purpose of plans is to identify the site and nearby features. Plans shall include, but not be limited to, the following features:

(1)

An 8.5 x 11 inch copy of a U.S. Geological Survey map or equivalent topographic map showing the location of the proposed activity;

(2)

Names of all nearby roads and streets, and the site street address along with the Assessor Map Number and Parcel Number;

(3)

Outline of the wetland resource areas related to the proposed activity, including floodplains;

(4)

Property lines, including distances, and the names of owners.

Field requirements. The purpose of field requirements is to allow the Commission to properly and accurately view existing and proposed site conditions in order to assess compliance with the Wetlands Bylaw. Project sites should include, but not be limited to, the following features:

(1)

Resource areas delineated by a professional with knowledge of wetland vegetation and soils;

(2)

Location of all resource areas marked with a numbered sequence of flags in the field, corresponding to information provided on project plans submitted with a permit application;

(3)

Corners of all proposed buildings or structures within 100 feet of wetland resource areas clearly marked by stakes corresponding to information provided on project plans submitted with a permit application.

Engineering drawings and information. The purpose of engineering drawings and information is to describe the proposed activity and its impact. Engineering drawings may be required by the Commission to include, but not be limited to, the following features:

(1)

A title designating the project location, the name of the person preparing the drawings, the date prepared, including latest revision dates, and an identifying reference number;

(2)

Present and proposed contours of the entire site and affected adjacent areas. Generally, two-foot contours should be shown;

(3)

Location, dimensions and area of all present and proposed structures and paved areas;

(4)

Location of any underground utilities;

(5)

Present and proposed location of all rights of way and easements;

(6)

Location of proposed and existing water retention areas and all existing and proposed storm drainage pipes, ditches, structures, culverts, and outfalls fully described with information on inverts, slopes, materials, entrance and outlet conditions, bedding in unstable soils, details of drainage structures and endwalls, and other standard engineering data on such work;

(7)

Sewage disposal systems, specifically showing the location and type to be used in compliance with state and local environmental codes;

(8)

Locations and elevations of cellars or floors and bottoms of septic systems and leaching fields, and any alternate sites;

(9)

Delineation of all resource areas and the buffer zone, whether continuous or intermittent, natural or man-made;

(10)

Floodplains and flood hazard areas;

(11)

Location of areas to be removed, dredged, filled or altered;

(12)

Cross-sections showing slope, bank, and bottom treatment of each watercourse to be altered (Locations of cross-sections to be specified.);

(13)

Typical cross-sections, elevations and stability calculations for water retaining weirs, dams and dikes, and of earth retaining structures alongside open waterways and wetlands;

(14)

Soil characteristics in representative portions of the site, including characteristics of hydric soils;

(15)

Locations, logs, and water table information from all test borings, test pits, percolations tests, and other subsurface explorations;

(16)

The ground water elevations within proposed areas of work based on direct observation or indirect characteristics (e.g., soil features) if deemed necessary by the Commission;

(17)

All calculations necessary to show the effect of the proposed activity on soil and water;

(18)

The location of any spoil areas;

(19)

Erosion and sedimentation prevention plans during and after construction;

(20)

Based on the drainage areas and physical features shown on the plans, calculation of runoff volumes, peak discharge rates, velocities and times of concentration for twenty-four-hour duration storms of return periods of, two-, 10, and 100 years (Calculations must show the existing condition, the condition at completion of the proposed work, and the condition upon further development planned or reasonably anticipated for the site; the 100-year, twenty-four-hour storm shall be evaluated to show that there will be no increase in offsite flooding impacts.);

(21)

Layout and site plans drawn at commonly acceptable scales, preferably 20 feet to the inch, with detail and profile drawings drawn to the appropriate scales.

Construction methods. The applicant shall include a description of construction methods and, in particular, measures to minimize erosion, pollution, and damage to the biological environment both within and beyond the actual construction area, including the following:

(1)

Methods of erosion control during construction, including sedimentation ponds and slope protection;

(2)

Methods for protecting stripped and cleared areas of the site during extended shutdown due to weather, economic conditions, or any other cause;

(3)

Methods of stockpiling excavated wetland spoil on the site or of transportation to offsite locations, as applicable;

(4)

Proposed sequence of construction of retaining basins, vegetation clearing and landfilling, grading or excavating;

(5)

Methods of preventing construction vehicles or equipment from transporting or depositing mud, dirt or debris on roadways as they leave the project site;

(6)

Methods of removing erosion control measures after the project site has been stabilized.

Environmental impact report. If an applicant is required by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) and if the EIR scope includes impacts on any resource area, the Commission shall consider the EIR in any decision pursuant to the bylaw. The Commission shall have authority to continue its hearing under the bylaw until the final EIR is certified by the Secretary of Environmental Affairs as complying with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See MGL c. 30, § 61 et seq.

Other information. The requirements stated above are not definitive or exclusive. Some may be omitted in a particular case, and an applicant may be required to submit other additional information deemed necessary to determine compliance with the Wetlands Bylaw. The Commission encourages applicants and their consultants to schedule a pre-filing conference to ascertain information requirements for specific projects.

Failure to provide information. Pursuant to § 280-12 of the bylaw, failure to provide information required by these regulations or other information requested by the Commission to produce adequate evidence to satisfy the applicant's burden of proof shall constitute sufficient cause for a denial of a permit.