New committee to create water bylaw
By Nora Cardec Journal Correspondent

The town has received a technical assistance grant to help write a Low Impact Development (LID) Bylaw, and now officials are looking for volunteers.

The $7,100 grant from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs will help to toward writing a bylaw to protect the town water supply.

“We are following the work plan prepared by the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition for Westminster,” said Town Planner Eric R. Smith.

The idea is to form a LID Bylaw Committee, whose members will create bylaws to address problems such as flooding, water pollution and other problems that affect the town’s streams, lakes and water supplies.

The committee will focus on land use planning and development that will help preserve the natural hydrology of the land through environmentally friendly principles and techniques, Smith said.

The benefits of the LID Bylaw include public health and safety along with conservation of open space and a better use of natural resources such as rainwater, he said.

“Although the town has bylaws to address development for subdivisions and new construction, there is nothing in the bylaws for new development techniques,” said Smith.

He said one of the requirements in creating this new committee is to include representation from all aspects of the community, from residents, Realtors and developers to town employees and volunteers such as members of the planning board, the conservation commission, board of selectmen and board of health.

Smith said the town is also specifically asking for residents who are part of the Ashburnham Lakes Coalition to participate because most of those residents live close to the town’s large water bodies.

There will be seven to nine members on the committee in January 2007.

The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition, as well as town staff, will provide technical support to committee members who are developing the LID Bylaw.

Once the committee writes the bylaw then it will require town meeting approval before it goes into effect.

For more information, call Eric R. Smith at (978) 827-4100, ext. 121 or visit http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_ growth_toolkit/pages/mod-lid.html.