Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Invasive Species Removal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Kiwanis Pond dredging and large phragmites removal at Nature Center
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a plan to dredge Kiwanis Pond at the Nature Center, remove about 10,000 sq ft of invasive phragmites and reuse spoils on-site for grading and reforestation; work is planned for mid-summer and will include a requirement for a final planting report.
The New Canaan Inland Wetlands Commission on Monday approved a Nature Center project to dredge Kiwanis Pond, remove an extensive stand of phragmites and restore disturbed areas, a project proponents said will improve habitat and educational access.
Bill Pollock, landscape architect with Keith Simpson Associates, told the commission the pond is about 0.4 acres and “we're estimating about 2,000 yards of spoils will come out” as the project deepens the basin to a healthier, longer-term target of about 8 feet. He said the dredging will be paired with mechanical removal of roughly 10,000 square feet of invasive phragmites and planting native grasses and trees in places where spoil and removal occur.
Pollock described a plan to pump down the pond, place excavated material where it will dewater and to seed and stabilize the impacted edges. He said the Nature Center will use about 900 cubic yards of the spoils to regrade the west side where phragmites roots will be removed and another approximately 1,100 cubic yards to reshape a cleared area to the west for meadow expansion. Pollock said the Nature Center and the project team expect the work to take roughly four to six weeks, with field construction targeted for the drier months of July and August.
Commission staff recommended a special condition requiring the project’s landscape architect to provide a final report verifying the native plantings and restorations. Commissioners also discussed the contractor’s approach to removing the phragmites and noted the Nature Center’s policy against herbicide use; Tiger (Nature Center representative) confirmed the Nature Center does not use herbicides on the property. Pollock and others said the team will remove phragmites material from the site (typically to landfill) and mechanically extract rhizomes where possible, followed by continued monitoring and manual follow-up in subsequent seasons.
The commission approved the application with the staff-recommended special condition that the landscape architect submit a final planting and stabilization report after construction. Commissioners present voted unanimously to approve the dredging, phragmites removal and associated restoration work.
Project proponents said the work will add educational value for the Nature Center’s programs by improving pond depth and water quality and by reforesting a former phragmites patch. The commission’s permit includes standard erosion and sediment controls, required monitoring and the final planting verification report.
