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Commission reviews DCR outfall restoration letter; asks for operations and maintenance plan
Summary
The commission reviewed a DCR proposal to replant nine Mystic River/Lower Mystic Lake outfalls after prior plantings averaged ~50% survival; staff will request a maintenance/O&M plan and three years of monitoring before a certificate of compliance is considered.
Arlington’s Conservation Commission on April 2 reviewed a restoration proposal tied to an earlier order of conditions (No. 91302) for nine DCR outfalls along the Mystic River and Lower Mystic Lake and asked that the Department of Conservation and Recreation submit a clear maintenance and monitoring plan before a certificate of compliance is approved.
Conservation Agent David Morgan told the commission that the 2023 certificate of compliance had been rejected because plantings achieved only about a 50% survival rate. DCR has submitted a new planting plan that Morgan described as “pretty robust,” proposing native canopy trees and understory plantings—roughly 150 to 200 individuals—to fill the restoration area. Morgan also said the proposed restoration area lies outside the current limit of work for a planned bikeway connection and, as presented, should not be disturbed by that project.
Commissioners raised concerns about survivability, potential trampling and watering, and the absence of explicit watering or long‑term maintenance in the materials. Members recommended that when the restoration plan next comes before the commission it include a detailed operations & maintenance (O&M) plan describing watering, protection from trampling, mulching and a monitoring schedule; staff said they would ask for the O&M plan and monitor the installation and results over time.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the DCR restoration letter at the meeting; staff indicated they will follow up with DCR and report back when a maintenance plan and monitoring schedule are available.
