Beaver Brook Subwatershed Information
Municipalities: Primarily West
Newbury, also Groveland and Newbury
Estimated Population: 1148
General Description: A number
of drumlins rim the perimeter of the Beaver Brook subwatershed.Drainage
from this area is collected in wetlands and unnamed streams, which flow
into and form Beaver Brook. This flowage drains to the Parker River.
The subwatershed is largely forested. Much of the Crane Pond Wildlife
Management Area, which is managed by MassWildlife, is found here. Farm
fields, tree farms, orchards and pasture are sprinkled throughout the
subwatershed. Undeveloped land use has declined from 2006 acres in 1991
to 1983 acres in 1999. Residential land use covered 464 acres in 1999
compared to 288 acres in 1991.
Land Area: 2447 acres (3.8
square miles)
Land Use as of 1999: Undeveloped
– 1983 acres (81% of the subwatershed, Forest is 58%)
Residential – 464 acres
(19% of the subwatershed)
Commercial/Industrial –
0.0 acres (0% of the subwatershed)
Named Tributaries: none
Lakes and Ponds: Little Crane
Pond.
Rapid Watershed Assessment: The
proportion of impervious cover in this subwatershed is estimated to be
2.5% based upon 1999 land use information. This is a slight increase
from the 1991 estimate of 2.2%. The water quality would be expected to
be of high quality. While a comprehensive survey has not been done, one
would expect to find excellent habitat, diverse communities, and a
stable stream channel. However, some localized impacts from summer low
flows, road runoff, non-point source pollution and habitat alteration
is likely.
Water Quality Information:
Little information is available on the water quality in this
subwatershed. The information that is available indicates that the
water quality is excellent. There are no known sources of point source
or non-point source pollution. The Department of Environmental
Protection Division of Watershed Management had two water quality
monitoring stations in this subwatershed in previous years. The data
from the 1994 water quality assessment
indicate that this subwatershed has excellent water quality. The
Department of Environmental Protection did not sample these sites in
1999.
Wildlife and Fisheries: Crane
Pond Wildlife Management Area contributes to a large portion of this
subwatershed. One large area at the boundaries of the Crane Pond
Wildlife Management Area was identified by the Watershed Team to be a
critical area for open space protection by building upon the already
protected wildlife management area. One site for Natural Heritage &
Endangered Species Priority Site and Rare Habitat is located within
this subwatershed.
Recommendations: One
consideration would be to work with the local open space committees and
the Open Space Committee Network recently established by Massachusetts
Coastal Zone Management and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The open
space committees of Georgetown and West Newbury could work together to
identify unprotected open space parcels and develop a plan to increase
the amount of protected open space through acquisition, conservation
restrictions and other innovative means. Need to locate and certify
vernal pools. Conduct stream survey and aquatic habitat survey.
(Data obtained from the Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Watershed Initiative,
2002 Watershed Assessment Report)