The Northampton Conservation Commission on March 27 granted an order of conditions for Eversource's Mulberry Street gas-main project, which proposes to install 400 linear feet of new main within the Mulberry Street right-of-way, including approximately 337 feet by horizontal directional drill (HDD) under the Mill River and 63 feet by conventional open trench.

Presenters said the HDD will be placed about 13 feet below the riverbed and will require two small entry/exit workspaces adjacent to the roadway. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program staff reviewed the project and, in correspondence received March 17, determined the project would not result in a prohibited take of listed species. Best management practices described include erosion and sediment controls (mulch socks or straw wattles), catch-basin inlet protection, weekly inspections by an environmental compliance inspector, and restoration of paved surfaces and upland seed mix for reseeding shoulders.

Commissioners questioned HDD contingency planning, the likelihood and response to inadvertent returns of drilling fluid, and whether geotechnical borings or other subsurface information were available; the applicant said geotechnical borings were completed by the project engineers and that such information can be provided to the commission. The project team estimated drilling and construction would take two to three months, with the full project anticipated to begin in fall 2025. A motion to grant an order of conditions passed by roll call; all commissioners present voted in favor.