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NHDES says wetland permit was required for Pettengill Road culvert; Board will monitor
Summary
After a resident said no permit was needed, NH Department of Environmental Services told Springfield selectmen a wetland permit (notification) is required for a culvert on Pettengill Road; the Board said it will monitor permitting progress and staff will follow up with DES.
Whit Smith met with the Board and municipal staff during the Feb. 23 meeting, and a separate discussion focused on a culvert installation on Pettengill Road that a resident said did not need state permitting.
Resident James Yaegar told the Board he believed no permit was required for the culvert placement and access road. In response, Emmanuel Uwizeye, Wetlands Permitting Specialist at the NH Department of Environmental Services, said in a written response that "I reviewed information you provided and found that a wetland permit was required for the culvert installation," and outlined specific reasons why a permit or notification is necessary.
Uwizeye cited Env-Wt 901.03 on exemptions and noted that exemptions do not eliminate the need to file a wetland notification. He said the site appears to lie in or near a Priority Resource Area and may show the three wetland indicators (hydric soils, hydrology and vegetation); he also flagged floodplain presence and pointed the Board to PART Env-Wt 308 for details on exemptions. Uwizeye added that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) may investigate the site further to determine permitting needs.
Town Zoning Coordinator and Health Officer Tim Bray said he will follow up with NHDES about the property and that the Board will continue to monitor NHDES permitting progress. No formal permit decision by the Board was recorded in the meeting minutes; the record shows the state specialist’s written determination and the Board’s intent to track the agency response.
The Board did not take formal action at this meeting to authorize or deny work at the Pettengill Road site; next steps recorded were staff follow-up with NHDES and awaiting any determination from NRCS or a Certified Wetland Scientist.
