Open Space and Recreation Plan - Town of North Andover

T O W N O F N O R T H A N D O V E R
O P E N S P A C E A N D R E C R E A T I O N P L A N 2 0 0 6
2 0 1 0 U P D A T E
waste produced by the regional wastewater treatment plant. However this incinerator was closed in 1988 due
to the release of high levels of air pollutants. In 2002, the GLSD retrofitted the incinerator with new
technology that produces a product that pelletizes the sludge to usable fertilizer called biosolid handling. A
capped ash landfill is currently on site and has been tested within required environmental parameters. Due to
the possible health affects of incineration, sludge can no long be burned.
Flooding
The November 2008 Merrimack Valley Region Natural Hazards Pr-Disaster Mitigation Plan identifies flooding
as a major concern in North Andover. The report cites 4.8 square miles of Town of North Andover land in the
100-year floodplain and another 0.6 sq. mi. within the 500-year floodplain. These two flood zones constitute
almost twenty percent (20%) of the total area of the community. Road closures during flood events are typical
including Great Pond Road and Massachusetts Avenue. Several neighborhoods near the Shawsheen and
Merrimack Rivers have also been evacuated during recent extreme flood events.
Development Impacts
There are both short-term (during construction) and long-term (after construction) environmental impacts due
to land development. These impacts are particularly negative with regard to wetlands and water bodies,
especially when these wetlands and water bodies may be tributaries to a public water supply such as Lake
Cochichewick. The Lake Cochichewick Watershed Plan (IEP, 1987) identified erosion in areas of new
construction as one of the "primary sources of elevated suspended solids, nutrient and bacteria concentrations".
Erosion during the construction process and siltation of water bodies can have a variety of impacts, depending
on the soil characteristics. "There are three general soil types - fine muck, clay, and sand - all of which must be
kept from eroding into the water. Fine muck, if introduced into a stream, will cloud the water and create what
is known as biological oxygen demand. This depletes the waters of dissolved oxygen (DO), causing a reduction
in fish and other aquatic organisms that depend on the DO for respiration. Clays will create a milky cloud that
can clog the gills of fish living in the streams' waters. Fine muck and clays impact waters on a short-term basis.
Sand, however, may be the most harmful of all eroding soils because of its long-term implications. The sand
fills in gravel beds, which is used by fish as spawning beds." (Maynard, 1992)
In addition, future development could increase challenges faced due to flooding. According to MVPC analysis,
169 acres of “potentially developable” land under current zoning is within the 100-year and 500-year flood
zones. According to the Natural Hazards Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan (2008), “development of this open space
would increase the area’s impervious surface cover and stormwater runoff, thereby exacerbating the existing
flooding problems.”
38