Restore Battle Road Wetlands

This project will restore hydrologic and ecological functions of a degraded riparian and wetland complex in the Battle Road Unit of Minute Man National Historic Park (MIMA). Drainage through this area has failed during storm events and flooding has become an issue along Sunnyside Road. The first-order basin tributary system at this location drains into Elm Brook, which is an important Massachusetts fish habitat. In addition to restoring watershed functions, this project will create historic wetland conditions providing interpretation opportunities of environmental controls on troop movement during the battle of 19 April 1775.

This project will (1) remove a buried culvert to "daylight" 300-linear feet of stream channel; (2) enhance wetland hydrology by restoring natural overland flow between an existing pond and the daylighted section of stream; (3) replace a pipe culvert under a road with a larger box culvert to enhance wildlife passage; (4) remove abandoned pipes, manholes and other remnants of previous development; and (5) decrease stormwater runoff into the stream through use of a stormwater-infiltration basin.

Surface hydraulics will be reestablished by removing underground culverts, grading surface topography to desired standards, and providing appropriately sized passages for water translation at impoundments. Site assessment and restoration designs have been completed as prescribed by the NPS WRD (Milone and MacBroom, 2005; Noon, et al., 2003). The NPS Northeast Region's Archeology Program specialist has reviewed the site, which will allow the project to be forwarded as a categorical exclusion with respect to removal of historical artifacts.

Document Content:

Restoration Plans   (3.6 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.