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Waterford commission asks staff to draft approval for Connecticut College’s Mamacoke Brook restoration plan
Summary
Connecticut College detailed a three-segment plan to stabilize erosion, improve in-stream habitat and protect archaeologically sensitive areas along Mamacoke Brook; the Conservation Commission voted 5-0 to ask staff to prepare a draft approval but did not grant final permits.
The Waterford Conservation Commission voted 5-0 on March 12 to ask staff to prepare a draft approval for Connecticut College’s Mamacoke Brook restoration plan, a multi-segment effort to reduce erosion and improve habitat along the brook adjacent to the college arboretum.
Connecticut College Arboretum Director Maggie Redfern and Professor Doug Thompson summarized the site history and earlier student work that informed the revised proposal. Josh Wilson, a professional wetlands scientist with BioHabitats, presented the technical plan and said the project was revised to prioritize erosion control after the discovery of archaeologically sensitive deposits on the site.
Wilson described three construction reaches. Segment 1 calls for hand-laid Post Assisted Log Structures (PALS) installed without heavy machinery so the structures will biodegrade over time. Segment 2 will require mechanized access to place material and will include riffle structures and dynamic boulder clusters intended to reduce bank erosion and increase in-stream habitat diversity. Segment 3 uses Post-and-Wattle structures staked perpendicular to flow to redistribute water across the marsh; those will be installed without heavy equipment.
Presenters said on-site white pine and ash are the likely wood sources. Because of the archaeological sensitivity, root masses in areas of historic deposits will not be disturbed: phragmites stands will be treated with surface herbicide and the biomass removed rather than excavated. Access is proposed from the north side of Benham Avenue; timber matting will be used within the archaeological area and woodchip roads elsewhere. The project team stated they intend to avoid geotextile and stone paths where possible.
Wilson provided project quantities and site details: 690 linear feet of stream enhancement (430 feet in the upper reach, 260 feet in the lower reach), 655 linear feet of restoration/creation in the middle reach, and a total of 1,345 linear feet of stream-focused activity. Middle-reach restoration/creation is estimated at about 330 cubic yards of material, with roughly 200 cubic yards expected to be imported. The lower reach will receive about 19,687 square feet of supplemental planting. Boulders for in-channel structures were described as generally 1 to 2 feet in diameter, with some existing stones up to 2–3 feet. The presenters said no invertebrate studies were conducted because the channel is intermittent.
Commissioners asked technical questions about boulder sizing, wattle installation, and expected decay; presenters said the design intentionally mimics natural features and that short-term stabilization will allow vegetation to establish long-term stability. The Commission’s action was procedural: Commissioners voted to request staff draft an approval document for application C-26-02 rather than issuing final permits at the March 12 meeting.
Votes at a glance: The commission approved the February 26, 2026 meeting minutes (motion by Commissioner Tali Maidelis, second by David Lersch; vote: 5–0), voted 5–0 to request staff prepare a draft approval for application C-26-02 (motion by Tali Maidelis, second by Wade Thomas; vote: 5–0), and voted 5–0 to adjourn at 7:24 p.m. (motion by Tali Maidelis, second by Wade Thomas; vote: 5–0).
The next procedural step is staff preparation of a draft approval for the Mamacoke Brook application; the transcript records only the direction to staff and not a final permit or issuance date.
