SWSC Seeks USACE Permit to Dredge, Fill in Connecticut River

Photo by Craig Martin, USACE

Joshua Schimmel, of the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission (SWSC), is seeking a permit from the USACE New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with dredging and fill within the Connecticut River as part of the Connecticut River Sewers Crossing Project in Springfield and Agawam, Massachusetts.

Photo by Craig Martin, USACE

This work is proposed within the Connecticut River from West York Street in Springfield to 250 M Street Extension in Agawam.

The project involves the installation of temporary structures and dredging within the Connecticut River and the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into the Connecticut River as part of the Connecticut River Sewers Crossing Project in Springfield and Agawam.

The purpose of this scheme is to install new redundant sewer crossings to the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (SRWTF) on Bondi’s Island. This project is a part of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)–mandated and approved Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plan (LTCP).

The SWSC proposes a phased work schedule, where they will maintain a construction area within one half of the Connecticut River crossing corridor at a time. The contractor will maintain pile-supported exclusion barriers, bubble curtains, etc. around the in-water construction area, in order to exclude sturgeon and other resident fish species from gaining access to the construction area.

The deadline for submitting the comments is April 27, 2020.