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Location: 100 Beaver Dam Road, Plymouth, MA

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  • Owner:  Tidmarsh Farms, Inc., prior owner, now MassAudubon Sanctuary

  • Volume of Earth Removed: 550,000 Cubic Yards according to earth removal permit Case 3167 issued in 2003 for mining on a 5-7 acre portion of the site.

  • Permit: Yes, granted by Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals, June 2003, Case 3167. Permit is here.

  • Area Impacted: 5-7 Acres in addition to areas previously mined across the 449 acre site. Tidmarsh Farms owned 449 acres which were largely converted to cranberry bogs. An unknown volume of sand and gravel was removed over the decades. MassAudubon owns the site now and is working on restoration. USGS Historical Coastal Topographic Map Image c. 1900 shows Beaver Dam Pond and hills about 100 feet across the site. Map below.

  • Claimed Reason for Mining: Agricultural- Cranberry Bog: construct new 10.7 acre cranberry bog and to removal additional gravel from the site, approximately 5 acres in the vicinity of the existing bogs and sand pits, area to become used as a plant nursery. Source: ZBA Permit.  Planning Department Recommendation to approve mining is here.

  • Water Supply: Yes, Zone II of Plymouth Municipal well. Map below.

  • Plymouth Carver Sole Source Aquifer: Yes

  • Wetlands and Waterways: ZBA Special Permit states bog construction is exempt from Wetlands Protection Act; “additional earth removal [which is not associated with a new cranberry bog], consisting of 300,000 cubic yards of earth removal appears to fall within 100 feet of a cranberry bog in some areas and within 200 feet of Beaver Dam Brook….” Source: ZBA Permit. It is unknown whether the work obtained an Order of Conditions. Unknown whether NPDES permit obtained for stormwater.

  • Archaeological Impacts: Unknown

  • Taxpayer Subsidies: USDA grant $7,988

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