In wetlands, builders can pay to play
Pilot program allows credits to aid other sites, but some are wary
HANSON -- A new program, the first of its kind in New England, will let large-scale developers in Southeastern Massachusetts destroy wetlands if, in exchange, they agree to buy "credits" in a new fund called a Pilot Wetlands Mitigation Bank.
The bank will, in turn, pay to restore wetlands elsewhere in the region -- specifically, in Hanson at what was once known as Bog 18, said to be the largest cranberry bog in the world.
There are already 36 such wetland mitigation programs nationwide, but the New England debut is sparking controversy as it makes its way through the permitting process.
The wetlands mitigation bank was established by the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and the Legislature in 2004 to address the impact of big public transportation and energy projects in Southeastern Massachusetts. Later, large-scale private developers were added as bank users eligible to buy credits.
One credit will cost developers $150,000 to $250,000, according to Eric Las, an engineer for Beals and Thomas Inc., the firm handling the wetlands conversion. The restoration project at Bog 18 is estimated to cost $1.6 million.
Proponents of the wetlands mitigation bank say it will provide a way for developers, whose projects are in areas where replacing wetlands is not possible, to make wetland restitution in another part of the region. They say, too, that it will give state authorities an enforcement alternative when dealing with violators of wetlands laws.
Stephen Barrett, director of BlueWave Strategies, the Boston consulting firm hired by the state to oversee the bank and wetlands development, said traditional efforts at wetlands replacement are often unsuccessful, because volunteers on local Conservation Commissions don't have time to keep monitoring the sites to make certain they continue to flourish.
"One of the big differences with the bank is we're working with a team of state and federal agencies," Barrett said. "A lot of expertise has gone into designing this project. This is a pilot. We think if the project will have an overall benefit, it's in the public's interest to give it a try."
The program would cover the 43 communities in the Taunton River Watershed -- encompassing an area from Weymouth on the north, to Freetown and Fall River on the south, to Middleborough, Plympton, and Carver on the east, and to Plainville on the west.
Detractors of the pilot program, however, complain that creating wetlands in Hanson won't help the 42 other communities in the Taunton River Watershed that lose resource areas, flood control, and valuable wildlife habitat to development under the bank program.
There is the additional fear, particularly among conservation agents, that the bank will result in a loss of local control over development, which they believe could shift to the state. Developers could simply appeal local denials to the Department of Environmental Protection, where they might be overturned, some local officials fear.
"Personally, I'm not happy about the idea at all, and I don't think we have any Conservation Commissions that are happy about this," said Carver's conservation agent, Sarah Hewins. While developers can fill in wetlands in Carver and replicate them in Hanson, "what happens to our aquifer, our ground water, and the basements of our homes?"
Kyla Bennett is an Easton resident and member of that town's Conservation Commission, as well as director of the New England Peer Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Bennett said she knows of similar programs in other parts of the country that have not been successful.
"You can't take hamburger and turn it back into a cow, and similarly it's very difficult to take destroyed wetland and bring it back to a fully functioning wetland," Bennett said.
Bank money will be used, for starters, to restore or create wetlands out of 25 acres of Bog 18's 1,800 acres. The work will be done in the northern corner of the Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, which spans the Halifax-Hanson town line off Hawks Avenue.
Bank funds will also be used to maintain and monitor the new wetlands.
The site was most recently owned by
Some critics -- Bennett among them -- are concerned about the state's plan to sell about 30 percent of the credits from the bank prior to any mitigation being done, in an effort to get seed money for the project. "To me, that's faith-based mitigation, not fact-based mitigation," she said.
Estimates of revenue from the mitigation bank are still being developed, officials said.
The official timetable calls for work on the Burrage Pond/Bog 18 site to begin by next spring and be completed in three to five months, according to Las, the Beals and Thomas engineer. Credits from the bank will be sold yearly in increments of about 20 percent of the total, over five years, according to BlueWave's documents on the proposal.
The credits would only be sold each year if the wetlands area continued to thrive. The area will be monitored for 10 years. Any extra money from the bank will be given to the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife for further restoration efforts on the site.
Hanson's Conservation Commission is currently considering approval of the work, because mitigation will take place in what are technically wetlands.
Janine Delaney, town conservation agent, said project proponents have been working on it for two years.
"I think a wetlands bank is a great concept," Delaney said, adding implementation will be an adjustment.
"Maybe when we know it better, we'll be more comfortable, but we're not there now," she said. "It's big, it's a pilot, and I feel we have a lot of responsibility."
Delaney said wetlands creation can be effective but the work must be supervised closely as the wetlands construction goes on, and the areas must be carefully monitored for several years after the work is complete.
She said other towns' conservation officials have expressed concern that their local decisions could be overturned by the state, and she is sympathetic. "I don't know how I would feel if it was switched," she said, and hers was the town losing wetlands instead of gaining.
Plans for the project can be reviewed in the Conservation Commission office in Hanson Town Hall.
The commission will further discuss the work on Jan. 8 at 8:15 p.m., in its Town Hall meeting room.
Public comment can be submitted to the state until Jan.5. Send comments to the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Att. MEPA office, Holly Johnson, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114 The case number is EOEA 13916.
Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.
What do you think?
Is it a good idea to let large -scale developers destroy wetlands in one area if they agree to help pay for wetland restoration in another part of the region? Share your comments at boston.com/southtalk. Or e-mail us at globesouth @globe.com, with your name, hometown, and a daytime phone number (number for verification only).
