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Transmission-line maintenance in Littleton advances after commission presses for timing, access and landowner outreach
Summary
Consultants for New England Power told the Littleton Conservation Commission they plan to limit wetland matting to drier months and to refresh private access roads rather than widen them; commissioners pressed for landowner coordination, photo documentation of access use, and weekly environmental monitoring tied to the project’s SWPPP.
At a continued hearing on transmission-line maintenance, consultants for New England Power and National Grid outlined how the company plans to limit impacts to Littleton’s wetlands while performing general maintenance and foundation work.
Allison Milleman, an environmental consultant with BSC Group working on the filing, said the project’s field review identified a vernal pool containing fingernail clams, intricate fairy shrimp and caddisflies. She asked the commission to condition any temporary matting so it occurs in dry months and proposed a timing window of midsummer through February to avoid peak breeding and emergence periods: "based on that, I would like to propose that the commission condition that matting be placed during dry conditions … perhaps midsummer," Milleman said.
Andrew Cole, who identified himself as lead environmental scientist for National Grid, told the commission the company will meet with affected landowners and the project engagement team can follow up with property holders if there has been a lapse in communication: "If there's an issue with the removal of the mounds, then yeah, we would meet with you and look at those mounds and discuss how to preserve the mounds to your preference as the underlying land owner," Cole said.
Commissioners pressed for clarity about access over private Blood Road, where the applicant proposed a Type R access-road refresh. Milleman explained a Type R treatment would fill potholes and add a stabilizing stone layer within the existing roadway footprint, not widen the road. She also said the applicant will photograph existing conditions prior to use and commit to restoring the private access to preconstruction condition after work is finished.
Staff told the commission the project will trigger an EPA-sized disturbance threshold and therefore a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan with weekly inspections and post‑rain (≥0.25 in) inspections; Milleman confirmed the applicant will produce monitoring reports and said BSC will supply an environmental monitor during active work.
Commissioners did not close the hearing. They directed the applicants to conduct follow-up outreach with private landowners along Blood Road, to provide precise matting and access details in updated plans, and to include the proposed timing restriction for matting in the next submission. The commission agreed to continue the item so staff can review revised plans and documentation of landowner coordination.
