Second 50-Foot Pile Of Earth Materials Proposed Near Route 3

A large pile of earth materials has recently appeared along the side of Route 3 and the Westford Planning Board is set to discuss another pile a few hundred feet away.

At the Planning Board’s Feb. 1 meeting, Newport Materials representative Douglas Deschenes presented a stormwater management plan related to clearance of 7 tree-filled acres at the northern portion of the 540 Groton Road/Commerce Way property, better known for its solar plant and proposed asphalt plant.

The pile would be a maximum of 50 to 55 feet, with a 2-to-1 slope to height ratio. However, that ratio is dependent on the materials within the pile according to Westford Town Engineer Paul Starratt, who told the board that sand would not allow for a 2-to-1 ratio at that height.

Deschenes explained details of the plan, which would include further construction of a 10-to-15-foot-wide roadway circling the current pile of earth materials, which is located just over the Chelmsford border.

That roadway would include culverts and areas for the collection of treatment and management of stormwater runoff from the new pile.

A 20-to-30-foot buffer would also be placed between the edge of the proposed northern pile and the northern boundary of the Newport property.

According to Deschenes, the roadway would only be accessed by on-site vehicles designed specifically for moving earth materials, although specialized snow plows may be utilized during colder months. However, snow would not be placed onto the piles.

It is possible that materials may be moved between the piles and the pile may include brought from offsite deposited elsewhere on the site. However, currently there is no expectation for any earth materials to be removed from the site.

Deschenes did not provide a detailed description of what materials would be put on the pile, although he told Planning Board Member Kate Hollister that recycled asphalt products, better known as “RAP,” would not be part of the pile.

He also told the board that the pile would be subject to weekly inspections from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, comparable to the existing pile.

The Planning Board continued discussion on the stormwater management plan until March 7. Due to wetland areas near the proposed pile, the Conservation Commission is also undergoing hearings related to the topic.