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Revere Conservation Commission approves notice of intent for partial Slades Mill Dam removal
Summary
The commission approved a notice of intent for a partial removal of Slades Mill Dam on Mill Creek after a presentation by Megan Kearns of Weston & Sampson; commissioners requested hydraulic and sediment data be filed for the record and noted funding is secured only for the dam portion.
At a Revere Conservation Commission meeting, members voted to approve the notice of intent for the partial removal of the Slades Mill Dam on Mill Creek, a proposal presented by Megan Kearns, a wetland scientist with Weston & Sampson.
Kearns told the commission the proposal aims to restore natural flow, improve ecological habitat, reduce safety and navigation hazards and enhance waterfront access. She said the full Mill Creek Habitat Enhancement and Waterfront Access Improvement Project underwent MEPA review that concluded in February and that construction funding has been secured only for the Slades Mill Dam portion; sediment sampling was completed recently to inform disposal and construction methods. "This partial removal meets the project goals," she said, adding that timber mats, riprap and turbidity curtains would be used during construction and that time-of-year restrictions (no work Feb. 15–June 30) will be observed.
Commissioners pressed for additional technical materials. One asked for boring logs and hydraulic calculations; Kearns said a hydraulic/alternatives analysis exists and that the team will provide the hydraulic report and sediment results for the commission record. The presentation described 2,490 square feet of overlapping resource-area impacts (brackish flat, shellfish habitat and land subject to coastal storm flowage), mostly temporary to enable access; commissioners later discussed a permanent-impact figure referenced during deliberations (about 612 square feet) and asked that the distinction between temporary and permanent impacts be clarified in the project record.
After discussion about site conditions, access from Chelsea using timber mats during low-tide winter dry conditions, and historic-preservation mitigation measures (a memorandum of agreement with local historical commissions and installation of educational signage), the commission closed the hearing and approved the notice of intent by voice vote. The commission noted DEP had not issued comments as of the hearing and that Chelsea will consider related approvals for the portion of work occurring in that city.
Next steps: the applicant will supply the hydraulic report, borings and sediment-sampling details for the commission file; construction funding and property easements remain contingent items for the broader restoration project.
