Wetland Mitigation – Culvert Removal, Bridge Span, and Channel Restoration

Fuss & O’Neill was hired by Eversource Energy to replace a failed culvert under Wendy’s Road that no longer conveyed surface water flow. Culvert replacement and stream channel restoration was to mitigate for the loss of approximately 2,800 square feet of wetland from the construction of an access road within a nearby electrical transmission right-of-way. Fuss & O’Neill obtained a 401 Water Quality Certification from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to perform this work.

The failed culvert no longer functioned and provided a poor hydraulic connection between an unnamed tributary and Hollister Brook. Hollister Brook and the immediate vicinity is a Zone A public water supply protection area and a designated Coldwater Fish Resource (CFR) per the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It was replaced with a three sided open bottom culvert that is considered an optimum Best Management Practice (BMP) for maintaining wetland continuity with minimal encroachment, habitat protection, and improving water quality. This culvert replacement restored the channel back to its natural conditions.