Pepperell Conservation Commission Issues Order of Conditions for Suckerbrook Dam Removal

PEPPERELL — May 4, 2021 — Pepperell Conservation Commission unanimously clears dam removal and culvert upgrade on Suckerbrook. The commission voted May 4 to issue an order of conditions for the Suckerbrook Continuity Restoration Project at the Kais Parker Conservation Area, 31 Oak Hill Street, authorizing removal of a 1930s-era stone dam and eventual replacement of a drastically undersized 36-inch culvert on the access road with a 20-foot-wide structure meeting state stream crossing standards. Joseph Gould of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Neil Price of the Horsely Witten Group presented the project, estimated at roughly $300,000 total, with dam removal targeted for September or October and culvert replacement contingent on an MVP grant application — requesting approximately $400,000 for the related Heald Street project and $100,000 for Suckerbrook — submitted this week. A commission member raised concern that the Brookline Street culvert, rated 0.33 for aquatic passability by the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative, remains the most significant barrier to connectivity with the Nashua River and would cost an estimated $1 million or more to address. The commission also voted unanimously to support the town opting out of state aerial mosquito spraying and to authorize members to individually sign a letter to the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs backing the MVP grant proposal.