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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?