Weston Conservation Commission approves permits, mulls aquatic management overhaul after swan deaths

WESTON — September 13, 2022 — Weston Conservation Commission moves toward overhauling decades-old aquatic treatment permits after swan deaths at Nonsuch Pond. The commission voted unanimously at its September 13 session to issue orders of conditions for two new applications — a 6,000-square-foot backyard lawn expansion at 165 Country Drive and a home remodel at 676 Wellesley Street, where riverfront area impact was calculated at 8.42 percent of total riverfront area on the property — and cleared five certificates of compliance for older projects. The lengthiest discussion centered on a chemical treatment at Nonsuch Pond under a Rivers School aquatic vegetation management permit originally issued in 1989 and routinely extended since, which the commission's conservation agent tied to the deaths of mute swans whose carcasses were collected and sent to the Tufts Wildlife Clinic for testing. The commission indicated it would likely deny the permit extension when it expires in July 2023 and require a full new notice of intent with modern conditions, including pre-treatment surveys and abutter notification absent since 1989.