A large sand and gravel operation uphill from the Head of Westport, that once angered neighbors with its big trucks and dust, may become the latest property in town converted to solar energy production.

The planning board got its first formal look at the 6.4 megawatt proposal by Energy Development Partners of Providence for 536 Old County Road, home of Westport Sand and Stone which is presently inactive. Cardi Corporation continues to own the site and would lease it to the solar company for 20 years.

Project manager Ben Aparo said the firm has been doing solar projects for quite awhile (since 2013) and has built ten of them with another eight in the works.

This one would be good sized, said Alan Benevides, senior vice president and civil engineer for the Woodard & Curran engineering firm.

The property, he said, contains 36.7 acres zoned residential/agricultural. The work area would cover 15.6 of those acres and the fenced solar panel area would be about 14 acres.

That would leave about 57 percent as open space, Mr. Benevides said.

A corner of the property, not part of the solar development, is within an aquifer protection district, and there is a fairly large pond on the site as well as wetlands.

The solar panels would stand a maximum of 11 feet tall and there would be a 100-foot buffer to the property lines — solar panels would be 120 feet to the property lines at their closest.

“Much of the land has already been disturbed — it’s a gravel pit,” Mr. Benevides said. That, he added, means that the project would require less clearing of trees than most, about 2.9 acres of mostly smaller trees that have grown back over once cleared areas.

Traffic would be negligible, he said, just occasional visits for mowing and maintenance, and the only sound would come from the transformer. No pesticides or herbicides would be used.

The plan also calls for improving the look of the entrance with grass, shrubs, more attractive fence and a facelift for the building.

“In my opinion, what’s being proposed here” should be an improvement for those living nearby, Mr. Benevides said, especially the elimination of big trucks coming in and out.

“I know solar projects are controversial but at the end of the day they are generally pretty good neighbors.”

Drainage plans

Given that water runoff from the property makes its way fairly quickly to the Head of Westport and the river, much of the meeting focused on plans to contain that water.

Mr. Benevides said water leaves the property at five locations and that will not change since they intend to make only small changes to the topography.

Key to slowing the flow of water over what is now bare sand and gravel will be the addition of a four-inch layer of loam across much of the site, loam that will be seeded with grass.

That loam and vegetation make all the difference, he said.

The water slows down, he said, infiltrates the soil, is absorbed by the roots, after which much of it evaporates. He predicted that runoff from the property at some locations will be “reduced by a factor of half.”

“Four inches of loam,” commented board member David Cole. “I wonder if that is enough.” He said he would like assurances that the loam volume would suffice to produce the runoff results promised.

The large pond also plays an important part in plans for runoff. Mr. Benevides said a considerable amount of the water presently flows into that pond — in big storms it occasionally overflows.

The expectation is, he said, that the pond will be better able to handle the reduced flow, which Mr. Benevides estimated at a million gallons less in a big storm.

Board Chairman James Whitin wanted to know if the pond has been tested — Why, he asked, “is the pond green.”

Mr. Benevides said the pond has been sampled and came up clean for volatile organics and harmful constituents. As to why it is green, he’s not sure — “haven’t seen it.”

Screening

Board member James Watterson insisted that the developer provide pictures that show the view from neighboring properties and whether the 11-foot tall panels would be visible.

“I wouldn’t vote for it unless I knew” that the buffer protects the sightline.

Mr. Benevides said they will provide those.

“This will be about as hidden a solar array as you can get, even in winter,” Mr. Aparo said.

The developers said they will plant evergreens — arborvitae — wherever needed.

“But something has to be shown,” Mr. Watterson said. “It will be tough to move ahead without some idea of screening.”

Neighbors’ concerns

After the presentation, several neighbors had questions and concerns.

Brian Field of Old County Road said “I don’t oppose the project,” but “my concern is the southeast corner of wetland that abuts my property.” Ever since the development of nearby Jo-Ann’s Way, he said he has seen an increase of water onto his property by way of the gravel property.

Mr. Benevides said the solar project would slightly reduce runoff at that location.

Manuel Costa of Jo-Ann’s Way said he was worried about talk he had heard of potential topping off of trees along the easterly border to prevent shading of solar panels. He wondered whether the panels will be visible from his windows.

There will be no clearing of the buffer, he was told.

Kathleen Santos had her doubts about the screening plans and the loam, particularly those arborvitae.

“Our experience here in Westport is that deer are going to eat that,” she said.

“I think she is absolutely correct,” Mr. Whitin said. Arborvitae around here “look really skinny at the bottom where the deer eat them — you can see right through.”

And four inches of loam doesn’t sound like enough, Ms. Santos added. “We’ve tried growing a lawn many times …”

“I have had experience living near a former gravel pit and I would think scrub pine would be better.”

They will look into using deer resistant species, Ms. Santos was told.

The board made no decisions but continued the meeting to Jan. 29.