City: Walmart violated Wetlands Protection Act by clearing trees

Craig S. Semon, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
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WORCESTER — On Monday, the city Conservation Commission pushed a scheduled public hearing back to the end of the month addressing Walmart Supercenter’s proposed plan to remedy a violation of the state’s Wetlands Protection Act.

Walmart, at 29 Tobias Boland Way, has been cited for removing 200 trees in the Blackstone River riverfront area, following the dismantling of the homeless camp in 2021.

An area adjacent to Walmart on Tobias Boland Way and along the Blackstone River was clear-cut in fall 2021 as homeless encampments in the are were being removed.
An area adjacent to Walmart on Tobias Boland Way and along the Blackstone River was clear-cut in fall 2021 as homeless encampments in the are were being removed.

On Oct. 20, 2021, the city Quality of Life Team visited the site to try to connect homeless individuals with services and alert them that the camp was being dismantled, while the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Providence & Worcester Railroad, on whose properties the encampment sat, provided heavy machinery and a dumpster. Police were also on hand.

Walmart continued to cut down trees after the initial sweep from the buffer zone near a section of the river protected under the state Wetlands Protection Act.

The identified disturbance impacted the eastern bank of the riparian corridor in the 15-foot no disturbance zone, 25-foot and 30-foot buffer zones and in some areas up through the 100-foot buffer zone, according to documents.

The buffer zone consists of a 100-foot zone around, and 100-foot from the bank of, the Blackstone River. The other resource areas consist of a 15-foot no disturbance zone, bordering land prone to flooding, the riverfront area and a stormwater protection zone.

On Dec. 14, 2021, the city issued a cease-and-desist order to Walmart for all activity affecting the buffer zone and/or resource areas.

A 49-page document titled “2022 Riparian Corridor Restoration Plan” for the Walmart Supercenter was submitted to the Worcester Conservation Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

The Walmart Supercenter on Tobias Boland Way, Worcester.
The Walmart Supercenter on Tobias Boland Way, Worcester.

Prepared by Walmart Inc.’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and environmental consultants Apex Companies in Rockville, Maryland, the restoration plan recognizes the Walmart Supercenter "inadvertently" removed the trees while proposing an extensive remedy for the situation.

Planting recommendation includes planting 200 trees. Also, alternations to resource areas resulting from the vegetation clearing activities, “shall be corrected and returned to their original condition,” according to documents.

In addition, MassDOT will install a 6-foot chain link fence with a 12-foot wide access gate located along the eastern bank along the 30-foot setback buffer zone, per the request of the Conservation Commission.

Apex assumes the Worcester Conservation Commission and MassDEP will likely require annual activity monitoring reports for two years, the documents states.

The public hearing is slated during the next city Conservation Commission meeting Jan. 30.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester: Walmart violated Wetlands Protection Act by clearing trees