Bridgewater Conservation Commission Fines Two Properties $100 Per Day for Wetland Violations

BRIDGEWATER -- May 28, 2026, Bridgewater Conservation Commission voted to impose $100-per-day fines on two non-compliant properties and directed the town's own water treatment plant project to return with a full notice of intent at its May 28 meeting. Chair Marilyn McDonald and Conservation Agent Dan Levesque led an extended session in which the commission voted unanimously to attach a $100-per-day fine to an enforcement order at 25 Birch Hill Road, where the property owner has not responded to repeated outreach, and initiated a separate $100-per-day fine at 16 Wood Street, effective May 28, for unpermitted wetland buffer work dating to September 2025. Both fines draw on Bridgewater Wetland Bylaw Section 7's $100-per-day schedule, confirmed through MassDEP guidance. The commission also unanimously issued a positive determination on the Town of Bridgewater DPW's request for determination for a PFAS water treatment plant at 1719 Plymouth Street, concluding that the project's 100-foot buffer encroachments and proximity to the 25-foot no-disturb zone warranted a formal notice of intent. Member Laurie Keene said flatly: "This is definitely a notice of intent. This isn't an RDA." The commission additionally voted to accept BSC Group as environmental monitor for the Zero Lakeshore Center hotel project, after two other reviewers were ruled out for lack of credentials and a conflict of interest.