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Home My WebLink AboutPresentation 2.4 rvsdBass River Headwaters Restoration Wetlands Protection Act Application for an Ecological Restoration Notice of Intent Conservation Commission Hearing February 5, 2026 1 Bass River Project Area OUTLINE Site and project overview Proposed restoration Completed example projects Hamblins Brook Nantucket Sound An overview of the study area with the red box showing the project area and the blue line indicating the flow of the Bass River, which empties into Nantucket Sound. The river within the study area is referred to as Hamblins Brook. 2 Mill Pond Weir Road Miss Thatchers Pond Restoration Goals Improve resiliency Improved water quality Minimize long-term maintenance Replace aging road infrastructure Remove barriers to flow and passage Improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat Maintain/enhance recreational opportunities Cells 1-4 Cell 5 Cells 6-7 Hamblins Brook Project Team Town of Yarmouth Friends of Bass River MassDER MassCZM Design Team Inter-Fluve Tighe & Bond Stimson Associates Cheyenne Lane Knollwood Drive This area was actively farmed for cranberries for decades, which involved significant impacts to the ecosystem, namely water control structures, ditch networks, sand application. The area hasn’t been farmed in over 40 years, but many of the impacts still persist. Goals of the restoration: Improved resiliency- a restored ecosystem can absorb and recover from large storm events, which are becoming more frequent. Can also adapt to rising sea level. Improved water quality – nutrient attenuation and sequestration, cooler water Minimize long-term maintenance – natural, sustainable system Replace aging road infrastructure- Tighe and Bond will discuss Remove barriers to flow and passage – reduce flooding and improve fish passage Improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat – massive increase in habitat diversity Maintain/enhance recreational opportunities – something for everyone 3 Similar Projects with Ecological Restoration Notice of Intent 4 Miss Thachers Pond Upstream of Dam Picture Tour of the Site 5 Dam and fish ladder 6 Channel downstream of dam and fish ladder 7 Channel downstream of the fish ladder 8 Wetland upstream of Weir Road 9 Berm and channel upstream of Weir Road 10 Weir Road Crossing 11 Downstream of Weir Road 12 Downstream of Weir Road 13 Channel downstream of Weir Road 14 Crossing between Cheyenne Lane and Knollwood Drive 15 16 17 18 19 Cells 6-7 20 Mill Pond Weir Road Miss Thatchers Pond Cells 1-4 Cell 5 Cells 6-7 Designs 21 Remove fish ladder and embankment. Install pedestrian crossing #1 Construct new channel Cells 1-4- Upstream of Weir Road Remove berm and trail Fill existing ditches Ditch filling Sand removal Native Plantings Pond excavation Microtopography Trail enhancement Large wood stream habitat Partial embankment removal Smaller, deeper pond Miss Thatchers Pond (unchanged) Weir Road Replace Culvert Install new trail Summarize design features, starting at the upstream end. Flow is to the N/NE. Dam removal and fish ladder removal will lower the pond elevations, but a reconstructed stream will maintain the water elevation of Miss Thatchers Pond. The pond to the NW of Miss Thatchers will reduce in area but a smaller, deeper pond will be maintained in the middle. A new stream channel will be constructed from the former dam to Weir Road with the existing ditch filled in and the path and pedestrian access enhanced along the existing trails. 22 Mill Pond Weir Road Miss Thatchers Pond Cells 1-4 Cell 5 Cells 6-7 23 Weir Road culvert replacement Dirt path culvert replacement Cell 5 - Between Weir Road and Cheyenne Lane Fill select existing ditches Area of invasive plant removal and microtopography Ditch filling Sand removal Native Plantings Microtopography Trail enhancement Large wood stream habitat Weir Road culvert replacement Pedestrian Crossing Dirt path stream crossing replacement Maintain trail New channel construction No changes to the channel Add pedestrian crossing #2 Microtopography Add pedestrian crossing #3 Minimal work in this area – no impact to the channel (dashed blue line) and wetland in the middle. Where it’s drier, ditches will be filled and microtopography will occur in select areas. The channel will be reconstructed (solid blue line) at the upstream end to connect the new Weir Road crossing with the existing channel downstream of the flow control structures; a new channel will also be constructed at the downstream end to develop a new stream crossing location. 24 Mill Pond Weir Road Miss Thatchers Pond Cells 1-4 Cell 5 Cells 6-7 25 Fill existing ditches Partial berm removal and boardwalk placement Cells 6 and 7 Cheyenne Lane to Mill Pond Culvert removal Invasive plant control Ditch filling Sand removal Native Plantings Microtopography Trail enhancement Culvert removal and replacement Berm removal and boardwalk placement Cheyenne Lane culvert replacement and install of new pedestrian crossing #3 Culvert removal Mill Pond Sand removal and ditch filling Berm removal Short channel reconstruction at the dirt path. Filling ditches, removing berms and flow control structures. New boardwalk in place of the existing berm. 26 Weir Road Culvert Replacement: Tighe & Bond 27 Pedestrian Crossings: Stimson Associates 28 Pedestrian Crossing #2 29 Pedestrian Crossing #3 30 Boardwalks 31 Tidmarsh Farms Plymouth, MA Project experience: before and during construction Project examples to show similar design methods. Replacing straightened channels and ditches and monoculture with meandering streams and microtopography 32 Tidmarsh Farms Plymouth, MA Project experience: post construction Large wood habitat, microtopography, native seed growth from seed bank, little of what you see is planted. 33 Eel River Plymouth, MA Project experience: 12 years post construction Cedar growth 15-20ft, producing own young trees Sphagnum 8-10 inches thick Cranberries still growing 34 Cold Brook – Before Construction Image: Steve Furlong 35 Cold Brook – During Construction Image: Steve Furlong 36 Cold Brook – ~3 Months After Construction Image: Steve Furlong 37 Cold Brook – Before Construction Image: Steve Furlong 38 Cold Brook – During Construction Image: Steve Furlong 39 Cold Brook – ~5 Months After Construction Image: Steve Furlong 40 Cold Brook – about 3 months after construction 41 Cold Brook – about 3 months after construction 42 Upper Coonamessett River, Falmouth – before construction 43 Upper Coonamessett River – during construction 44 Upper Coonamessett – 4 months after construction, September 2025 45 Upper Coonamessett – 4 months after construction, September 2025 46 The Weir Road crossing will be more similar in size and construction to John parker road at Coonamessett. Tighe & Bond also designed this culvert replacement. John Parker Road free span bridge replaced 3 small metal pipes 47 Example of stream crossing at Foothills 48 Upper Coonamessett – 4 months after construction, September 2025 49 Upper Coonamessett – 4 months after construction, September 2025 50 Eel River Plymouth, MA Project Schedule: Permitting MEPA Review - Complete Yarmouth Wetlands Protection Act Order of Conditions – current MassDEP 91/401 – submitting this winter USACE Section 404 – submitting this winter/spring Bidding and construction – depends on permitting schedule, but could be late 2026 or early 2027 Cedar growth 15-20ft, producing own young trees Sphagnum 8-10 inches thick Cranberries still growing 51 Thank you Nick Nelson 617-852-7744 nnelson@interfluve.com www.interfluve.com Coonamessett River, Falmouth. Photo credit: Adam Soule If you use this photo of the Coonamesset, credit Adam Soule. 52