Charlton commission issues 14-business-day stabilization order for clearing at 253 Worcester Road, warns of daily fines

The Town of Charlton Conservation Commission issued an enforcement order requiring temporary stabilization of exposed soils at 253 Worcester Road within 14 business days and warned the property owner that daily fines of up to $300 per day may be assessed if the site is not stabilized.

Staff presented photographs and said approximately six acres had been cleared without a permit, resulting in sedimentation flowing into wetlands. Staff said the site remained unstabilized after winter melt and that the commission’s enforcement threshold allows 14 business days to stabilize exposed soils; staff recommended issuing an order to compel remediation or start daily fines under the town enforcement chapter.

Commissioners discussed the practicality of temporary stabilization without grading, noting some slopes likely need grading to stabilize. Staff said temporary measures exist that can stabilize exposed soils even without topsoil and that other large commercial projects in town had spent substantial sums on temporary stabilization (staff cited roughly $200,000 spent at a different site as an example).

The commission approved a motion to order installation of temporary stabilization measures in all exposed areas within 14 business days of the order and to impose daily fines (up to $300 per day) if the owner fails to comply. Commissioners also voted to require the applicant to fund and the commission to select a town-approved monitor (consultant) to oversee stability and compliance on large commercial projects; the funds would be held in a special account and expended at the commission’s direction.

What happens next: staff will monitor the property and, if the owner does not make a good-faith attempt to stabilize the site within the specified timeframe, the town will begin issuing fines and may require hiring of a town-selected monitor paid by the property owner.