How To Build A Water Theme Park
Posted by - Bruce Winn : Category - Conservation Commissions, Pittsfield City Government, Wahconah Park, WetlandsIf you have been following BEAT’s Blog, you know that we have a few themes.
1. All BEAT asks is that the City of Pittsfield follow existing laws and regulations.
2. The Pittsfield Conservation Commission does a poor job of protecting Pittsfield’s lakes, rivers, streams, and other wetlands.
3. The purpose of Pittsfield City Government seems to be to take in tax money and grant money and control its distribution.
All three points came into focus for me recently as I looked at two engineering plans related to the work being done at Pittsfield’s own water theme park; Wahconah Park.
Behind the guardrails at the back of the Wahconah Park parking lot there is a wetland. This wetland runs right into the Housatonic River behind it. The plans for Wahconah Park that were approved by the Conservation Commission include a swale, or gutter-like depression, between the parking lot and this wetland. The idea behind the swale is that water from the parking lot will collect in the swale, sediments will have time to settle out, natural filtration will occur through the soil, and eventually the much-cleaner water will find its way through groundwater into the wetland and then into the river. This concept is very well accepted in environmental science. So what has the city been doing after rainstorms? They’ve been emptying the swale by pumping water over the silt fence and haybales into the nearby wetlands, negating the environmental protection offered by the swale.
Pumping into the wetland at Wahconah Park.
BEAT feels that there is also a problem in the design of the swale. The swale is supposed to be much longer than it actually is and there is supposed to be a grassy buffer between the parking lot and the swale. A grassy buffer would help in catching sediment even before it gets to the swale. There is none. BEAT has brought this matter to the attention of the Conservation Commission. The commission doesn’t seem to be interested, despite the fact that we have pointed out the following.
Take a look at this plan.
This is the plan that was presented to the Pittsfield Conservation Commission for approval as part of the reconstruction. The green highlighted area (BEAT’s highlighting) is the swale. BEAT questioned the adequacy of the swale’s size at the hearing, but we were told it was adequate. The Pittsfield Conservation Commission approved the plan, and the City of Pittsfield put it out to bid.
Now take a look at this plan. This is what was actually put out to bid.
This is the plan that was put out for bid. Notice the swale (highlighted in yellow by BEAT). Does it look different?
Take a look at this plan.
This is an overlay of the two previous plans. Note that the plan sent out to bid is not the plan that was approved.
Here are two insets; one from the reviewed plan and one from the plan put out to bid.
The two plans are similar, but notice that the swale is supposed to have a grassy buffer between it and the parking lot (labeled “Maintain area with plantings & meadow”). The plan implies that this buffer will have a width of maybe 5 to 7 feet. In fact the buffer doesn’t exist. But you have to give them credit. “Plantings and meadow” was a nice touch.
Also, look at the plans and try to picture the swale in your mind. How deep is it? Here’s a clue. The vertical and horizontal scales are not the same. The swale is actually only 1 foot deep at its deepest point. This 15-foot -wide, 1-foot-deep “channel” slopes smoothly down to this 1-foot depth from both edges. No, it’s not actually a wide, flat bottom as in the drawing. (More on this issue next time.)
As I’m writing this, the swale is filled right to its brim. How deep is it? The depth ranges from 4″ to 8″. Nowhere is it a foot deep. Perhaps it became filled with silt during the recent rainstorms. If that’s the case, the City is going to have a lot of work to do to maintain this undersized swale. The maintenance plan that the City agreed to calls for manually removing sediment every month, repairing eroded areas, and re-establishing vegetation. The month has passed. I’m sure the City will take care of this immediately. The plan also calls for maintaing the 7-foot-wide vegetated (0 to 2-inch-wide gravel) strip. The City is supposed to, again on a monthly basis, mow the grass and remove trash and debris. Of course since the strip doesn’t actually exist, this shouldn’t be a problem.
We ask you. What is the purpose of a Conservation Commission if the plans they approve are not the plans that are used in construction? We brought this issue before the Pittsfield Conservation Commission. Jane Winn, executive director of BEAT held up one of the above maps for the Commissioners. Jenny Hersch of the Housatonic River Museum held up the other for them. The Pittsfield Conservation Commission refused to consider the incongruous maps, or even to look at them. Again; all we ask is that the City of Pittsfield follow the law. Is this too much to ask?
Next time: Point #2.
[Note added August 23, 2009, a week after this post was written. The hose from the pump is still there, and now it is taking down the silt fence that separates the parking lot and swale from the wetland. Here's a photo taken on August 23.]
At least before they were pumping OVER the silt fence instead of through it.