Lexington Conservation Commission Ratifies Enforcement Order Against MWRA Contractor for Wetland Violation

LEXINGTON — July 14, 2026 — Lexington Conservation Commission ratifies enforcement order against MWRA contractor for unauthorized wetland clearing on town-owned land. The commission voted unanimously Monday to ratify a staff-issued enforcement order against the contractor running the MWRA's Arlington-to-Burlington water line project after workers were found to have cleared wetland vegetation, installed dewatering equipment, and discharged sediment into Monroe Brook on a commission-owned parcel on Maple Street — all outside the permitted limit of work. The contractor must submit a restoration plan at the July 28 meeting. The commission also voted unanimously to approve $1,200 from the Lexington Nature Trust Fund for Game of Logging chainsaw training for up to 16 participants in fall 2026. A separate enforcement matter at 24 Turning Mill Road, where a driveway was built roughly two feet higher than approved into a wetland buffer, drew pushback from Commissioner Phil Hamilton: "I'm looking at a proposal that basically leaves things as they are, and I'm not sure that's a particularly good outcome of a situation where the applicant has, I think, quite deliberately violated the order of conditions." A proposed 15-unit special residential development at 114 Wood Street, located within the administrative boundary of Minuteman National Historical Park, was continued to July 28 after a park official cited federal law suggesting the parcel was intended to remain single-family or be conveyed to the National Park Service.