Wetlands Scientist Paul Knapik presents Eversource project to Conservation Commission. Conservation Coordinator Karen Leigh on right. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Paul Knapik, senior wetlands scientist for the BSC group gave a detailed presentation on behalf of Eversource’s Westfield Reliability Project to the Conservation Commission at a public hearing on Tuesday. The $34 million project, according to Knapik, involves a new switching station at Pochassic Street and three miles of new transmission lines, some new poles, and an access bridge crossing wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas up to the existing Buck Pond substation on Medeiros Way.
Knapik said the project is needed to increase reliability in the area. The plans showed the areas where the lines crossed the wetlands, and Knapik spoke of plans by Eversource to minimize impact, such as using removable mats in construction areas.
In addition, on the south end of the project, Knapik said they propose removing a culvert and an existing pipe in land under an agricultural restriction, and replacing them with culverts meeting current standards, with a goal of improving the flow to benefit the future use of the property.
In addition to crossing wetlands, part of the project is also in National Heritage fertile species land, with two turtle species of particular concern, Knapik said. He said a walk through with the National Heritage group is scheduled for early September.
The project is also being reviewed by the state Department of Public Utilities. Eversource filed with the DPU on April 17, seeking approval to construct the new transmission line along an existing transmission right of way and the new, proposed switching station; and seeking individual and comprehensive exemptions from Westfield’s Zoning Ordinance to modify the Buck Pond substation and to construct the new Pochassic/Atwater switching station. Knapik said the DPU review can take up to a year, and he expects final approval by the second quarter of 2019.
Maps of the project are available for review at the City Clerk’s office and at the Westfield Athenaeum. The project is also online at the DPU website under Fileroom/dockets/bynumber by entering project 18-21.
The Conservation Commission said they will have to do a walk-through of the entire project, and continued the hearing in order to schedule the inspection.
In other business before the commission, Conservation Coordinator Karen Leigh said she received a restoration plan in response to an enforcement order regarding the installation of a footbridge in a wetland by Frank DeMarinis of 0 Root Road. Leigh said they were required to submit a plan for removal of the footbridge, and the restoration plan didn’t meet the requirement.
It was agreed to require a plan for immediate removal of the footbridge and an appearance at the next scheduled meeting, or fines would be levied.
