Groveland commission approves permit for buried conduit at 209 King Street NEC substation

The Groveland Conservation Commission on April 8 approved both the state DEP notice of intent and the town’s Notice of Intent for work at the 209 King Street NEC substation, clearing the way for installation of a buried conduit line by the applicant represented by TRC.

At a continuation of the public hearing, commissioners reviewed a site-visit report distributed by the chair and raised questions about contractor access to the trench, steep slopes and rock conditions, and the presence of invasive plants on the site. TRC’s wetlands consultant, James Treacy, told the commission contractors will access the trench through the substation by creating a temporary port in the fence and will use temporary panels to minimize wetland impacts. Treacy said the crew will perform turtle sweeps and turtle-handling training and will submit best-management-practice measures for invasive-species mitigation and a seed mix consistent with related King Street work.

Commissioners were told the trench construction would require roughly a month of on-site work and that crews intend to start at the end of April once permits are issued. After discussion, Commissioner (speaker 7) moved to approve the town and DEP Notices of Intent for the 209 King Street NEC substation; the motion was seconded and the commission voted unanimously to approve the permit and close the hearing. The chair noted the order-of-conditions signature pages were ready for signing so the permit could be mailed out promptly.

Why it matters: The substation work is part of infrastructure managed by New England Power Company and requires the commission’s permit because construction approaches wetland buffer areas. The commission’s conditions and TRC’s mitigation commitments (access routing, erosion control, turtle protections and invasive-species measures) are intended to reduce impacts to jurisdictional wetland resources.

What’s next: The applicant will finalize permit paperwork and the commission’s agent will sign and mail the orders; construction is expected to begin roughly one month after permits are issued, contingent on contractor scheduling and permit timelines.