Effects of Effects of Construction Construction

in the Silver in the Silver Maple Forest Maple Forest

By Melanie Hall, Chloe Starr,By Melanie Hall, Chloe Starr,

Jesse Smith, Nora Katz Jesse Smith, Nora Katz www.freindsofalewifereservation.org

Project OverviewProject Overview

• Proposed construction planProposed construction plan

• Ecologic impactEcologic impact

• Flooding and pollution consequencesFlooding and pollution consequences

• Environmental justiceEnvironmental justice

• ConclusionsConclusions

LocationLocation

• 15.6 acres of land privately owned by 15.6 acres of land privately owned by Brian O’Neill Properties GroupBrian O’Neill Properties Group

• Located between Little River and Located between Little River and Route 2 in Belmont, MARoute 2 in Belmont, MA

• Upstream of Alewife Brook Upstream of Alewife Brook ReservationReservation

The ProposalThe Proposal

• 300 unit residential 300 unit residential complexcomplex– 75 units of 75 units of

affordable housingaffordable housing– Total square Total square

footage 382,706footage 382,706– 3.4 acres of 3.4 acres of

impervious impervious coveragecoverage

Possible Benefits According to Possible Benefits According to O’Neill Properties GroupO’Neill Properties Group

• $714,00 in annual revenue $714,00 in annual revenue

• Increased tax base to benefit Increased tax base to benefit BelmontBelmont

• Possible state funding for fulfilling Possible state funding for fulfilling 10% subsidized housing unit goal10% subsidized housing unit goal

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EnvironmentalEnvironmentalImpactsImpacts

From the destruction of theFrom the destruction of the

Silver Maple ForestSilver Maple Forest

http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/plant_images/forest3.jpg

Silver Maple ForestSilver Maple Forest• 15 acres located along the riverbank and edge of 15 acres located along the riverbank and edge of

Little PondLittle Pond• One of the only large, old-growth stands in the One of the only large, old-growth stands in the

Boston areaBoston area• Can tolerate Can tolerate

seasonal floodingseasonal flooding

http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/plant_images/forest1.jpg

Animal HabitatsAnimal Habitats

• Provides nesting areas for many Provides nesting areas for many birds including wood ducks and birds including wood ducks and hooded mergansershooded mergansers

• Buds are essential for supporting the Buds are essential for supporting the food chain of squirrelsfood chain of squirrels

• Provides lumber for beaver dams Provides lumber for beaver dams located along the riverbankslocated along the riverbanks

Animal Habitats cont.Animal Habitats cont.

• Provides cover for larger mammals Provides cover for larger mammals such as deer, fox and minkssuch as deer, fox and minks

• Without the forest, animals would Without the forest, animals would have to move elsewhere to find food have to move elsewhere to find food and shelterand shelter

• This could mean relocation to This could mean relocation to neighborhoods and backyardsneighborhoods and backyards

Root SystemRoot System

• Silver maples are Silver maples are characterized by a shallow, characterized by a shallow, fibrous root systemfibrous root system

• Keeps the soil intact and Keeps the soil intact and prevents riverbank erosionprevents riverbank erosion

• Loss of this root system Loss of this root system could induce erosion into could induce erosion into the river, potentially the river, potentially raising the flood levelraising the flood level

http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/plant_images/advroots.jpg

Flooding and Pollution From Flooding and Pollution From the Constructionthe Construction

• Construction will decrease Construction will decrease evapotranspiration and increase evapotranspiration and increase runoff and runoff ratesrunoff and runoff rates

• Construction will increase water Construction will increase water exposure to several heavy metals, as exposure to several heavy metals, as well as all the pollutants that result well as all the pollutants that result from a residential development. from a residential development.

EvapotranspirationEvapotranspiration

• Vegetation is also Vegetation is also crucial to prevent crucial to prevent floodingflooding

• Plants can absorb Plants can absorb thousands of gallons thousands of gallons of water a dayof water a day

• Removing the Removing the scheduled trees scheduled trees would create 2.26 would create 2.26 million more gallons million more gallons of runoffof runoff

http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/infoEtoOverview.jsp Charles Katuka

FLOODINGFLOODING

• Urbanization Urbanization increases both increases both runoff AND runoff runoff AND runoff raterate

• Even with controls, it Even with controls, it is almost impossible is almost impossible to prevent thisto prevent this

http://serc.carleton.edu/images/introgeo/socratic/examples/Hydrograph.jpg

Previous FloodingPrevious Flooding

• Many reports of flooding in homes, Many reports of flooding in homes, and partial submergence of Route 2 and partial submergence of Route 2 in the 1990’sin the 1990’s

• Combined Sewer Overflows Combined Sewer Overflows

• Outdated flood plainOutdated flood plain

Current PollutionCurrent Pollution

• CSOsCSOs

• Water is ‘Class-B’Water is ‘Class-B’

• Only 4 of 27 Only 4 of 27 samples actually samples actually had acceptable E-had acceptable E-coli levelscoli levels

http://www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/images/E-coli.jpg

New pollutants to be addedNew pollutants to be added

• HEAVY METALSHEAVY METALS

• 0.180 mg/l of Pb0.180 mg/l of Pb

• 0.176 mg/l of Zn0.176 mg/l of Zn

• 0.046 mg/l of Cu0.046 mg/l of Cu

http://www.paneco.ch/Galerie/Bilder/Projekte/Indonesien/02Abfall400x265.jpg

In combination…In combination…

http://www.calpoison.org/public/lead.html,

http://www.clockcollecting.com/bruno/parts/Tall%20Case%20Lead%20Bob.jpg

http://www.lewes-flood-action.org.uk/lfa-images/flood.gif

Chapter 40B and Snob Chapter 40B and Snob ZoningZoning• Chapter 40B- state statute allowing for Chapter 40B- state statute allowing for

faster approval and zoning processes if faster approval and zoning processes if 25% of housing units are affordable25% of housing units are affordable– Designed to help communities reach the state Designed to help communities reach the state

goal of 10% affordable housing per towngoal of 10% affordable housing per town– O’Neill Properties meets the minimum O’Neill Properties meets the minimum

requirement and has been approved to use 40Brequirement and has been approved to use 40B

• Snob zoning- Belmont does not want Snob zoning- Belmont does not want medium income housing in the communitymedium income housing in the community

Open Green SpaceOpen Green Space

• Pollution created by the Pollution created by the development will flow development will flow downstream along the downstream along the Mystic River watershedMystic River watershed

• Directly downstream is Directly downstream is the Alewife Brook the Alewife Brook ReservationReservation– Serves as the main source Serves as the main source

of open natural space for of open natural space for North Cambridge and North Cambridge and parts of Arlingtonparts of Arlington

http://www.mysticriver.org/maps/mystic_greenways.pdf

Comparison of Per Capita Comparison of Per Capita Incomes between Belmont, Incomes between Belmont, Arlington, CambridgeArlington, CambridgeTownTown Per Capita IncomePer Capita Income

BelmontBelmont $42,485 $42,485

CambridgeCambridge $31,156 $31,156

ArlingtonArlington $34,399 $34,399

Who deserves a clean and healthy environment?