Open Space and Recreation Plan - Town of Natick

Draft 9-16-11
TABLE 6
GENERAL SOIL ASSOCIATIONS
23
Acres Percentage
Hinckley-Made Land Association 4,704 46
Woodbridge-Paxton Association 2,050 20
Hollis Association 1,740 17
Windsor-Deerfield Association 810 8
Muck Association 480 5
Canton-Muck Association 450 4
TOTAL 10,234 100
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service
2. Effects on Development, Drinking Water and Wastewater
Natick relies on groundwater for its drinking supplies. Glacial soils provide the primary medium by
which the aquifers are recharged. The aquifers that serve as Natick’s primary source of drinking
water need to be protected. Because Natick is on the MWRA wastewater system, future
development will be tied into that system. While this will not contribute to problems because of
septic systems, it will continue the drawdown and removal of water from Natick aquifers through
the MWRA system, possible contributing to future shortages of water.
Since Natick does have a municipal water supply and a municipal sewer system, the impacts of soils,
geology and topography are minimized compared to towns that do not have such municipal systems.
However, as more of the land gets developed, the remaining land is more and more marginal land
with more issues to be addressed as it is developed.
B. Landscape Character
Natick has a great variety of landscapes –with several lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, dotted here
and there with forests and open agricultural lands. Map 5 illustrates the various land uses in Natick.
The highest point in Natick is Pegan Hill, 410 feet above sea level on Pegan Lane, owned by The
Trustees of Reservations. West of the entrance to Pegan Hill is Mumford Wildlife Forest, an early
New England Forestry Foundation educational forest. To the north are Train Hill, Broad Hill, and
Carver Hill, all nearly three hundred feet high. Natick has many lakes, covering 621 acres, which