Littleton Conservation Commission Sets September Deadline for Two Wetland Restoration Plans

LITTLETON -- August 6, 2024, Littleton Conservation Commission set a September 10 deadline for wetland restoration plans at two enforcement-order properties. At 15 Powers Road, owner John McGagan appeared before the commission for the first time after missing three prior meetings, acknowledging he spread approximately four truckloads of road millings within the 50-foot wetland buffer without a permit; commissioners declined to waive roughly $8,000 in existing civil fines but agreed to pause new tickets while McGagan works in good faith toward a professional restoration plan. At 30 Warren Street, representative Casey Caldenberg submitted a consultant's narrative restoration plan the afternoon of the meeting, too late for commissioner review, prompting a site walk set for August 19 and a continued hearing August 20. The commission also continued the Notice of Intent hearing for 13 Winged Cove Road, where stormwater calculations and a written justification for an unpermitted stone patio remain outstanding before a bylaw waiver can be considered. In a unanimous vote, the commission named a recently acquired parcel the Webster Conservation Land, pending family confirmation. Dave Barr of Friends of Forge Pond reported the 2023-2024 winter drawdown of Lake Mattawanakee failed to control invasive plants for the second consecutive year, with warm temperatures preventing lake levels from reaching the target depth; the committee has secured funding for a hydraulics and hydrology engineering study of the outlet structure at Abbott Mill Dam.