WESTFIELD – The Conservation Commission voted Tuesday night to issue an order of conditions for construction of a sewer system and pump station to serve the Plantation Circle and Jessie Lane neighborhood.
Residents of that neighborhood have long sought construction of the sewer line which will connect to the city’s sewer system currently serving the Radisson Lane neighborhood. The residents petitioned the City Council to allow the sewer line extension because of septic system failures in the neighborhood which began shortly after the subdivision was constructed in the 1990s.
A ‘dry’ sewer system was installed when Plantation Circle and Jessie Lane were constructed, meaning the sewer pipes were laid under the streets, but were not connected to either the city’s sewer system orthe homes built on those streets.
The problem, from both an engineering and conservation standpoint, is that the Radisson Lane system is at a higher elevation then Plantation Circle and is separated by Ashley Brook, a tributary of Jack Brook and Little River.
Several options were proposed, but a solution was complicated by the presence of Ashley Brook between Radisson Lane and Plantation Circle, requiring a crossing, either above or under the stream, of the protected wetlands associated with the brook.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti estimated Tuesday night that the construction of the pumping station, to force effluent up from Plantation Circle to the gravity sewer system serving Radisson, is expected to cost about $750,000 and the total project, including connecting the dry sewer lines, is projected at $850,000.
The Conservation Commission discussed replacement of trees that will be removed during construction. Conservation Coordinator Karen Leigh said that several of the species proposed by the engineering consultant, CDM-Smith, are not suitable for wetland areas.
Joseph Liberte of CDM-Smith, said the list of trees is based upon what is currently growing in the proposed construction areas.
“The environmental consultant did an assessment of what is there now,” Liberte said. “The (list of) trees is based on what is there now. We tried to match what is there.”
The commission had also requested CDM-Smith to provide historical information on the flow levels of Ashley Brook, but Liberte said that research of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) found no data specific to the brook.
“We were unable to find any historical information, flood data on Ashley Brook,” Liberte said. “There is not information on the FEMA or any data base.”
Leigh also suggested that the Commission make it a requirement of the Order of Condition that the construction contractor, when one is hired, meet with the commission prior to the beginning of construction, to discuss the construction sequence and provide “a step by step review” of the construction process and nits impact on the wetlands.
