Bethany wetlands commission presses solar developer for erosion controls and wildlife protections at Carrington Road site

The Bethany Inland Wetlands Commission on June 15 probed erosion, runoff and wildlife protections in a proposed ground-mounted solar array at 795 Carrington Road, after a joint site visit and letters from regional water authorities and a watershed coalition raised concerns.

Chair Chris Sullivan said the commission had completed a site visit and noted that part of the property lies within the commission’s 150-foot upland review area. “We just conducted a site visit there. All of us were in attendance,” Sullivan said, opening discussion of the application from Triek America's LLC.

The commission recorded two written correspondences: a June 15 technical comment letter from the South Central Regional Water Authority and a June 11 letter from the West River Watershed Coalition, signed by Stephanie Fitzgerald, that opposed clear-cutting a steep hillside and warned the clearing could erode and “impair the water quality at the Sanford Brook.”

Anthony Capalano, project manager with Soleie Engineering, told commissioners the submitted stormwater design, which he said received the state general permit approval, would reduce flows leaving the property by routing runoff into a sized sediment basin with a flow-control structure and emergency spillway. “We are reducing flows off the site,” Capalano said, describing weekly and post-storm inspection commitments during construction and monthly checks for two years after stabilization per permit conditions.

Capalano described site measures that will be phased into construction: perimeter silt fence and stabilized entrances installed first, diversion swales to channel runoff to the basin, hay and erosion-control matting on steep slopes, double-row silt fence where necessary, and sediment removal triggers tied to fence deposition levels. He said the project team filed with the state natural-diversity database; a herpetologist’s field study found no box turtles on the property but indicated the area could provide habitat, so the contractor will have a pre-clearing sweep and relocate any listed turtles before tree removal.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on construction access and methods for moving heavy machinery without degrading newly constructed swales, and on past local problems where fine sediment persisted in Lake Bethany after nearby development. The commission asked for written documentation of several items that Capalano said were available or could be produced: the stormwater general-permit approval; the HydroCAD/Hydrology reporting and infiltration logs for the basin; the soil science report from William Kenny Associates (Bill Kenny); and the project’s long-term operation and maintenance plan identifying the party responsible for ongoing inspections and maintenance.

Capalano said the project team would provide the requested materials and was willing to accept routine conditions recommended by the regional water authority. “We can provide the documents you’re asking for,” a project representative for Triek America's LLC said. “We are amendable to the conditions that RWA has asked for. They’re routine. We do this regularly.”

On hydrologic design, the project engineer explained that solar projects are analyzed under the state’s solar-specific appendix to the general permit and that designers apply a conservative runoff adjustment in TR-55/HydroCAD modeling to account for compaction and other construction effects. Commissioners asked that the modeling and curve-number assignments be included in the file so they can confirm the conservative assumptions were applied.

The commission also asked for the state NDDB determination letter and any conditions tied to seasonal restrictions or species protections. Capalano confirmed the herpetologist will perform a sweep before clearing and will relocate any listed turtles if found; only then will tree clearing begin.

The commission directed the applicant to upload the requested documents to the wetlands application and to email copies to the chair for distribution to commissioners so materials will be available for the July meeting. The applicant agreed to provide clean copies of prior reports (including the William Kenny soil report) and to clarify which files will be uploaded to avoid returning with incomplete materials.

No formal permit decision or vote on the project occurred at the meeting; commissioners framed the next step as review of the written materials and a return to the commission at its July meeting with the requested documentation.