Posted on April 27, 2020
OLD SAYBROOK — The former home of Katharine Hepburn sits seaside behind a tidal salt pond at 10 Mohegan Ave., an area that provides essential coastal habitat and a classic Old Saybrook view while strolling around Fenwick or playing the second hole of Fenwick Golf Course.
In order to protect the coastline in this area, the Lynde Point Land Trust, Inc., recently submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to the application, the goal of the project is to stabilize shoreline erosion and protect Lynde Point Marsh, Mohegan Ave., Crab Creek and the adjacent salt pond from the threat of increasingly frequent storms.
The project will “develop a living shore east of the old Katharine Hepburn property,” according to Marilyn Ozols, Borough of Fenwick land use administrator.
The project will primarily involve land that was donated to the Lynde Point Land Trust and which is known as the Hepburn Family Preserve.
“The marsh was restored years ago, but the dune has been breached a couple of times,” Ozols said. “The sand washes in and blocks the creek that provides ebb and flow to Hepburn Pond, so the pond just keeps filling and floods the adjacent areas.” The project will “bolster up the dune, move the creek and add rock fills to protect the pond,” Ozols said.
“The land trust opted to do a living shoreline rather than a sea wall or hard surface solution,” Ozols added.
Living shorelines create a more natural wave mitigation than having waves crash against a sea wall. If approved and completed, “it will be one of the first living shoreline projects in the state and it is hoped that it will serve as a demonstration project for other areas,” Ozols said.
“The original seed money for the project came from the land trust and the borough, now various grants have been granted and some are still in process,” Ozols said.
The project design was completed with a grant from the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation.
As detailed in the permit application, the project proposes a northerly relocation of Crab Creek, filling of the old tidal creek, removal of the existing culvert under Mohegan Avenue, construction of a new culvert, construction of intertidal stone sills, creation of tidal wetland habitat and reestablishment and expansion of coastal dune features, including vegetation.
A total of 710 square feet of tidal wetland will be converted to dry land, and sand will expand the coastal dune. In all, the proposed work will impact about 0.80 acre of unvegetated intertidal and subtidal habitat and 0.016 acre of tidal wetland. A 450-linear foot living shoreline will be created.
If approved, the project would take about five months to complete and employ best practices to protect water quality. Excavated cobble material will be reused to blend into edges and to cap the proposed nine stone sills (rock outcroppings) that will be placed just offshore.
To minimize community disruption, no work will take place between July 1 and Sept. 6. No work will take place beachside from April 1 through Sept. 1 to avoid impact to piping plover, unless authorized in writing by the state DEEP.
Dredging will be required and will impact some Essential Fish Habitat . The Corps has made a preliminary determination that the adverse effect will not be substantial. Further consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding fish habitat conservation recommendations is being conducted and will be concluded prior to the final permit decision.
The federal permit application was filed with the Corps in compliance with the Rivers and Harbors Act, which provides for federal regulation of any work in, or affecting navigable waters of the U.S.; and with the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands.
The permit application and more specifics on the proposed work can be seen at: https://www.nae.usace.army./Missions/PublicNotices/. Comments from the public will be accepted through May 7
Public comments should be forwarded no later than May 7, 2020 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Cori Rose), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Cori Rose at 978-318-8306 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: cori.m.rose@usace.army.mil.
Source: nhregister
