By Mary Romaniec
Grafton News Reporter –
Representatives from Algonquin Gas Transmission requested permission by the Board of Selectmen to drill a core bore beginning at Kittery Point at the Fisherville Pond.
The request is to gather data of the pond’s sediment and rock structure in order to determine best building practices for a proposed continuation of the West Boylston gas pipeline corridor, which may travel underneath Fisherville Pond. The drilling needs to be done to determine the viability of completing a Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) at the site for the proposed gas pipeline, representatives said.
Jon Bonsall, an attorney representing Algonquin, said the process involves drilling 40 feet below the bottom of the pond, at about the 120 foot mark. Drilling will occur in a section setback from the edge of the pond at the Kittery Point location and across the pond in the vicinity of Broadmeadow Apartments. Bonsall said the data is to determine the best design to support construction in the area. The core bore data gathering would take four to five days on each side of the pond, with the majority of the time going to drilling down far enough.
The hole diameters will be 4 to 6 inches, he said. Once complete, the holes will be filled back in with compacted dirt, according to Algonquin representative Joe Cunningham.
Algonquin said it has received written permission from National Grid to use their access road off Pleasant Street to get to the Kittery Point location, not far from Trinity Avenue.
Grafton’s Conservation Agent Maria Mast has been notified of the project, but an official proposal is pending approval from Selectmen to proceed. Once approved, Algonquin said they plan to bring in drilling equipment and plastic matting to protect the surrounding wetlands. Representatives said they also need to obtain permission by Broadmeadow Apartment owners to drill on site.
Selectman Dennis Flynn believed the Conservation Commission Agent’s approval was necessary before Selectmen could approve. His was the only dissenting vote of approval to proceed.
The West Boylston natural gas corridor will include 27 miles through 11 communities as part of one of the largest natural gas projects to be completed in New England and parts of New York.
The Northeast Access Pipeline is proposed to pass through Grafton, over five miles through town of the almost 120 mile project which is targeted for completion by 2020.
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