Pepperell Commission Unanimously Approves Order of Conditions for Hill Street Culvert Replacement

PEPPERELL — May 18, 2021 — Pepperell Conservation Commission votes unanimously to replace the failing Hill Street culvert over Sucker Brook. The commission approved an order of conditions Tuesday for the Town of Pepperell to swap a corroded, hydraulically undersized 36-inch corrugated metal pipe for a precast concrete open-bottom box culvert with a 16-foot span, designed to restore fish passage and aquatic habitat connectivity for up to 1.5 miles upstream. Jill Griffiths of Gomez & Sullivan Engineers told the commission the existing structure is corroding from the inside, with soil entering through the pipe walls, and has scour damage at both ends. The new structure has been designed to withstand the 100-year flood with more than two feet of freeboard, exceeding the MassDOT-recommended 25-year standard. A commission member conditioned her support on the order of conditions requiring clean fill free of invasive plant material. Construction is targeted for August through October 2022, pending grant funding and final permitting. The commission also cancelled its June 1 meeting for lack of scheduled hearings, setting June 15 as the next meeting date.