91Site ID:IpswichTown:12.1Acres:NoRapid Technical Site Assessment:RestrictionFillAgricultureOtherCompleted ProjectHighPriority:Site consists of approximately 12 acres of historically-filled and altered salt marsh on the Trustees of Reservations Castle Hill Estate. Historic (late 1800s) Coastal Survey and USGS maps show the entire delineated site as salt marsh contiguous with the marsh adjacent to Fox Creek to the west. At some point in the 1900s, the dirt road to Cedar Point was built across the marsh. GIS analysis and site observation also indicate that substantial areas of the eastern portion of the site may have been filled in for unknown reasons. It has also been reported by TTOR staff that this site was used as a cranberry bog. Elevated sandy soils on site corroborate this information. Within the last decade, the culvert beneath the dirt road failed and was replaced by the Mosquito Control District with a 30-inch plastic pipe set high in the road bed. The downstream end of the culvert is perched above the bottom of the channel. Further assessment is needed to evaluate the ecological condition of the site, verify assumptions about the historic extent of salt marsh, and determine options for restoring all or a portion of this tidally-influenced system. Restoration actions could replace the culvert with a larger opening to enhance tidal exchange. Fill material and sand associated with the former bog operation could also be removed from the marsh surface to restore healthy salt marsh conditions and elevations similar to existing salt marsh downstream / west of the road. Restoration potential is considered high based on the relatively large opportunity and ownership by TTOR.Site Summary:Under DevelopmentImpact Type(s)StatusPotential Project
