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Soil scientist: Riverside lot has alluvial soils but not active floodplain; recommends rain garden
Summary
Consultant George Logan told the commission that while soils on and adjacent to 30 Riverside Road are alluvial by taxonomy, they lack recurring activity that would make them regulated wetlands; he recommended low-impact-design measures and offered to provide a rain-garden plan sized for a 1.3-inch runoff event.
George Logan, the certified soil scientist on the application for 30 Riverside Road, told the Simsbury Conservation Commission that the parcel’s soils are alluvial in type but do not show the recurring activity that would qualify them as regulated alluvial/floodplain soils under state practice. "These are alluvial soils, but because they're not active, they're not considered, therefore, regulated," Logan said, explaining his conclusion and the difference between soil taxonomy and active floodplain behavior.
Logan described how historical soil surveys and aerial imagery are used for mapping but do not by themselves indicate current activity. He suggested a practical next step for the applicant: include a low-impact-development rain garden sized to manage runoff from roughly 3,000 square feet of impervious surface and designed for a 1.3-inch storm event. He said he could produce a follow-up plan and technical specifications for the site plan. Staff and commissioners asked for that detail to be placed on the updated site plan so inspections and limits of disturbance are clear.
