Guide to Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Application

WETLANDS

West Hartford’s inland wetlands and watercourses are an indispensable, irreplaceable and fragile natural resource with which the citizens of the Town have been endowed. It is necessary to protect these resources for conservation, economic, aesthetic, and recreational uses, and to maintain and improve the Town’s water quality. The purpose of inland wetlands and watercourses regulations is to balance the need for economic growth and use of land with the need to protect the environment and ecology.

Wetlands are defined by soil type, and consist of those soil types designated as poorly drained, very poorly drained, alluvial and floodplain. A regulated area includes all wetlands, watercourses, and bodies of water, as well as all areas located within 150 feet of the boundary of any wetland, watercourse, or body of water.

The official maps showing the regulated wetlands areas in West Hartford are in the Planning and Zoning Office.

The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency (“the IWW Agency”) is the authority which approves, modifies, or denies a final wetlands plan. In West Hartford, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission acts as the IWW Agency and the Town Planner acts as the Wetlands Administrative Officer. A public hearing may be required.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The first step is to meet with the Wetlands Administrative Officer for a preliminary review of the application and for guidance concerning the information and plans that will be required for submission.

The submission must include:

The application will be forwarded to other agencies and commissions for review. Reports and comments from those agencies will be forwarded to the applicant, and further information may be requested (see § 7.11 of the IWW Regulations). For considerations and standards applied by the IWW Agency in making its decision, refer to § 10 of the IWW Regulations.

SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

Upon receipt of an application (the official date is the initial appearance on the agenda), the IWW Agency will first determine if the proposed activity may have a significant impact on wetlands or watercourses.

If the proposed activity is deemed ‘significant’, a public hearing will be held within 65 days after receipt.

PUBLIC HEARING & NOTICE

The IWW Agency usually meets the first Monday of each month. Contact the Planning and Zoning Office for confirmation of meeting dates and to determine the filing deadline for your application.

Legal notice of the hearing will be published by the Planning Office in a local newspaper twice before the hearing.

Required posting of sign:

Applicant must post a notice of hearing on the property continuously for the seven (7) days previous to the date of the hearing. The sign and required accompanying affidavit are provided by the Planning and Zoning Office. The affidavit attesting that the sign was posted correctly must be signed and returned to the IWW Agency at the public hearing.

The hearing will be completed within 45 days of its commencement, and action will be taken on the application within 35 days of the completion of the hearing.

FEES

Application for Residential Use:

  • $120 + $50/lot or $90/acre of wetlands(whichever is the greater amount)

Application for Commercial Use:

  • Less than 3000 sq. ft. of wetlands: $120 + $36/1000 sq. ft.
  • 3000-50,000 sq. ft of wetlands: $120 + $ 28/1000 sq. ft.
  • 50,000+ sq. ft. of wetlands: $ 120 + $24/1000 sq. ft.
    * but at least $1,400

If activity is determined to be significant, (Public Hearing Fee): $ 350

MAP AMENDMENT

 Any property owner who desires to verify the designation of any part of his/her land as a regulated area on the official Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Map may petition the IWW Agency to change the designation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The applicant must present documentation, including a map of the land in question, by a certified soil scientist. See § 15.3, 15.4, and 15.5 of the IWW Regulations for submission requirements.

PUBLIC HEARING

All map amendment petitions require a public hearing (see above for public hearing). The IWW Agency will hold the hearing within 90 days of receipt of the application, and will act upon the petition within 60 days.

FILING APPROVED PLANS

If the amendment is approved, the applicant must provide the Town Planner with the following copies of the approved amendment:

  • Two (2) fixed line mylar reproducible plans
  • Three (3) paper plans
  • One (1) copy in electronic format
  • These plans shall not exceed 24” x 36”
  • Fee for filing the Map Amendment on the Land Records

FEES

Map Amendment - if new boundary is:

  • Less than 500 linear feet: $-350 + $40/100 linear feet
  • 500-1000 linear feet: $350 + $36/100 linear feet
  • 1000+ linear feet of new boundary: $350 + $30/100 linear feet

State of Connecticut surcharge: $ 30
Filing of the Map Amendment on the Land Records: $10 per each original sheet

See also the INLAND WETLANDS AND WATERCOURSE REGULATIONS OF THE
TOWN OF WEST HARTFORD
A copy may be purchased at the Planning & Zoning Office for $5.

For more information, call or visit the
Planning and Zoning Office
Town Hall, Room 214
50 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06107
(860) 561-7555

Updated Februrary 2006

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