Berlin Conservation Commission Approves Wheeler Pond Dam Order of Conditions With Amendments

BERLIN -- March 18, 2026, Berlin Conservation Commission approves amended order of conditions for Wheeler Pond Dam Restoration Project. The commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the order of conditions under DEP file number 107-0280, making several amendments during the meeting including clarifying that a July-through-October window applies to invasive-species mitigation work rather than monitoring observations, requiring jute wattles for erosion controls, and softening a dewatering-notification requirement from a hard three-week deadline to a stated goal. Members described the project as the largest the commission has ever overseen and noted the order of conditions was unusual enough to include a table of contents. The board also voted unanimously to authorize staff to add confirmed community-outreach language to a letter of support for a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant application by Interfluve, an ecological restoration firm, with proposed outreach events including a public day-of-dam-removal event at the project site. A member flagged a new concern on Randall Road where a pipe discharging an estimated 8 to 12 gallons per minute of silty water from a new residential development may be blocking a culvert and reaching nearby wetlands, with further site inspection planned.