WOBURN, Mass. — The Woburn Conservation Commission on May 22 granted a waiver of the city’s 25‑foot no‑disturb zone so Woburn Department of Public Works crews can replace three flume discharges on Arlington Road that convey stormwater directly into Horn Pond.

The commission granted the waiver during a public hearing on a Department of Public Works notice of intent (DP No. 348‑0883). The project would remove three existing flumes at the Richardson Street/Arlington Road area, near 114 Arlington, and north of the Buckman/Arlington intersection and replace them with deep‑sump, hooded catch basins, conveyance piping and riprap energy‑dissipation aprons with level spreaders. The work includes water‑quality units (hydrodynamic separators) where catch basins are in series and other erosion controls during construction.

Commissioners said the change matters because Horn Pond is connected to municipal drinking‑water infrastructure; commissioners repeatedly noted that untreated discharge flows into the pond and called treatment and conveyance improvements a “big plus.”

Consultant Alex Seller of TDC, who presented the plan, told the commission, “What the intent of this project is to do is to eliminate what we call these flume structures, and that's what's pictured here.” Seller described a design that places a deep‑sump, hooded catch basin at existing discharge points, routes the outflow through a 12‑inch pipe to a riprap apron with a level spreader and, in some locations, adds a headwall to minimize work within the resource area.

Woburn DPW staff described recurring flooding and maintenance problems at 114 Arlington. “We're down there all the time ... it's gonna eliminate his flooding problem,” a DPW representative said, describing repeated vacuuming and emergency maintenance the crew has provided at the low curb locations.

Project details recorded in the hearing include:
- Three primary locations along Arlington Road targeted for work: near Richardson Street, at 114 Arlington (a frequent low spot), and north of Buckman/Arlington intersection; the design replaces direct flume discharges with treatment and energy dissipation features.
- Structural elements: deep‑sump hooded catch basins, 12‑inch conveyance piping, riprap aprons, level spreaders and headwalls where needed; proposed water‑quality units are hydrodynamic separators.
- Temporary disturbance: work will include limited disturbance of land subject to flooding; presenters estimated approximately 120 square feet of riprap apron within mapped floodplain limits.
- Maintenance/O&M: Seller said, “So the catch basin should be cleaned at least at least twice a year or inspected for for maintenance purposes.” He said DPW will perform routine maintenance and that project proponents provided an operations and maintenance plan.
- Floodplain mapping: commissioners confirmed project elevations and floodplain limits were identified using the newer FEMA maps.
- Schedule: the presenter said the team would like to build the work in July–August, with paving targeted for October or, at the latest, early November to allow proper settlement and compaction.

Commission discussion focused on treatment efficiency, construction impacts and wildlife/slope stabilization. The design uses enhanced treatment (hooded deep‑sump basins) at some single‑inlet locations and hydrodynamic separators where multiple catch basins can be routed to an offline treatment unit. Seller explained that in some locations a full offline sequence of catch basins was not feasible because of existing utility conflicts and cost, so the design balances in‑line improvements with the supplemental water‑quality devices.

On erosion and slope work, the applicants said they will clean and regrade eroded slopes, apply loam and seed and install biodegradable erosion‑control netting until vegetation establishes. Seller said the netting choice aims to avoid plastic netting that can entangle wildlife and that they will use a biodegradable product intended to remain until the slope stabilizes.

The commission moved, seconded and voted to approve the applicant’s request to waive the 25‑foot no‑disturbance zone for this project; a formal public‑hearing record shows the hearing later was closed at the applicant’s request. No final vote on issuing an order of conditions or construction authorization was recorded during the hearing; the hearing record documents the waiver and the close of the public hearing.

Witnesses and staff emphasized the project’s limited permanent impacts: the design team said they do not intend to fill wetlands and that permanent disturbance is intended to be limited to the small riprap apron areas identified in the floodplain. The applicants said they will investigate an apparently blocked drain manhole encountered on the Richardson site during construction and make any necessary connections discovered during excavation.

Next steps recorded in the hearing are submission of final construction details and coordination with DPW for construction scheduling and maintenance responsibilities. The commission did not vote to approve construction work or conditions beyond granting the no‑disturb waiver and closing the hearing; additional permits or a formal order of conditions will be required before work begins.