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 COASTAL CURRENTS |
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| Fall 2008 |
Engineering News and Information |
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Wastewater Management is the Key to Improving Water Quality on Cape Cod
"All of Cape Cod's water resources are linked together by groundwater. The quality and quantity of the region's groundwater is of critical importance, as it is the only source of drinking water for most of Cape Cod."
- Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan Draft, May 2008
Earth is the only known planet with water, and our health depends on clean, safe water - from the water we drink, to the fish and shellfish we eat, to the ocean, streams, and lakes we swim in. Clean water also drives our economic engine, from water-based recreation and tourism to commercial fishing, which all provide commerce and jobs.
Civilization depends on reliable use and distribution of clean water. Yet most people take for granted the water and wastewater infrastructure we rely on to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities. It is this extensive network of reservoirs, pipes, pumps, sewers, stormwater basins, and treatment facilities that provides and processes our water - ensuring that an adequate supply of clean water is available. Investing in wastewater infrastructure is a wise investment in our national and local health and prosperity.
Cape communities are completely dependent on groundwater for their drinking water supply.
As Cape Cod has developed over the years, the quality of our groundwater and the health of our embayments have declined due to an increase in nitrogen levels - primarily from septic systems. Improving water quality is important not only to our quality of life, but also to the economic health of our community and the ecological health of our waterways. |
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What this means to Cape homeowners
Cape Cod is a sole source aquifer, which means that all of our water supply comes from the groundwater below us. That makes us all stakeholders in any community efforts to protect and improve groundwater quality. Degraded water quality not only threatens our drinking water supply, but can also result in loss of coastal resources and declining property values.
Our growing population has increased the need for community-wide wastewater management solutions that will handle the increased nitrate contamination levels in both our groundwater and waterways. The most effective community approaches focus on environmental management systems - and the interactions between surface water, groundwater, and aquatic health.
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 A look at nitrogen levels
Nitrogen is introduced into our coastal waters from the atmosphere (rainfall) and from the flow of groundwater and surface runoff. The nitrogen in groundwater and surface runoff comes from land uses, such as road and roof runoff, fertilizers, and septic systems.
The first steps in community wastewater management are to evaluate the levels of nitrogen a community's coastal embayment systems are currently receiving; identify what they will receive once all land within their watersheds is developed; and evaluate the potential nitrogen management strategies for those embayments that are receiving - or will receive - more nitrogen than the system can handle. This process involves looking at current wastewater flow, average occupancy rates, and total land area in the watershed. Then, to predict future levels of nitrogen, current loads are projected out based on a community's maximum buildout scenario (i.e., when all available buildable lots are developed).
Once projected nitrogen loads are established, the community can analyze and assess the management approaches to implement in the watersheds of coastal embayments where limits will be exceeded. Determining projected nitrogen levels and planning nitrogen management strategies form the basis for town-wide comprehensive wastewater management plans - an effort that is actively underway in local Cape communities, with voters currently making decisions on management alternatives (and their associated costs). |
 What three local towns are doing
Three towns on the shoreline of Pleasant Bay - Chatham, Orleans, and Harwich - have all drafted Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plans that are currently in different stages of development and implementation. Also, the towns are adopting Board of Health regulations for nitrogen sensitivity, and looking at new zoning bylaws designed to protect against unwanted growth.
Chatham conducted detailed evaluations of several alternatives for wastewater treatment and nitrogen management over the past several years, and currently has prepared a comprehensive plan that includes:
- a phased upgrade and expansion of the town's existing wastewater treatment facility;
- multi-phased expansion of the wastewater collection sewer system over the next 30 years;
- continued stormwater management to deal with road contaminants and sediment; and
- public educational efforts on proper fertilization application and management.
The town has submitted its plan to the state and the Cape Cod Commission for concurrent public review - with approvals expected by December 2008.
Orleans completed its needs assessment planning, and identified three wastewater plan options, which were presented to citizens in a series of informational sessions over the summer months. Based on extensive analyses of the three plans and citizen input, the Wastewater Management Plan Steering Committee (WMSC) selected a program centered on the original Plan 2, supplemented with features from Plans 1 and 3. This "recommended" plan includes:
- a centralized wastewater treatment facility located on the Tri-Town treatment plant property, with effluent discharge to the groundwater there;
- a wastewater collection sewer system serving properties in nitrogen-sensitive watershed areas; and
- a cluster of four small, local treatment and disposal facilities to protect certain threatened waterways.
This plan - which calls for 52% of the town to be sewered - was approved by voters at the October 27th Special Town Meeting, and will now be submitted to the state for review in mid-2009.
Harwich's Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan project began in August 2007, and currently the data review and needs analysis phase is underway and should be completed by the end of 2008. The next phase - alternatives evaluation and plan recommendations - is scheduled to be completed by mid-2009. |
The future is now
In developing plans for wastewater treatment and nitrogen management, communities must assess their future needs and evaluate alternatives based on effectiveness, ability to be implemented, and cost. While these town-wide planning efforts are long-term in nature - focusing on a community's future needs for the next 20 or 30 years - there are many local business initiatives underway to implement smaller, "treatment plants" in the near-term. These on-site facilities are designed both to address a business's current sewage disposal needs and to supplement any future town-wide wastewater systems.
Together, towns and businesses are working to keep communities vibrant - now and in the future.
Together, local towns and businesses are working to protect and improve water quality and keep the Cape Cod community vibrant for year-round and seasonal residents - now and in the future. |
 Taking the Lead to Improve the Waters of Pleasant Bay
Over the past two years, the Wequassett Inn Resort in Harwich has worked to address wastewater issues and adverse nitrogen impacts on Pleasant Bay, a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
The resort property, which sits on Pleasant Bay at Round Cove, is constructing a new state-of-the art wastewater treatment and disposal facility to address sewage generated on the site. The $2 million wastewater project is expected to reduce nitrogen loading at the property by more than 75%.
The new treatment plant and effluent disposal facility will replace all of the existing onsite sewage disposal facilities throughout the property. The construction of the treatment facility is scheduled to be completed over the coming winter months.
In addition to constructing this new facility, the Inn is also reconfiguring its current parking lots to provide enhanced stormwater drainage. With these proposed site improvements, the resort is helping to protect the local groundwater and the environment - keeping the health of the Pleasant Bay community in the forefront of all its planning efforts.
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