2005-DCPC DISTRICT OF CRITICAL PLANNING AND CONCERN

Home Browse Search

We believe that the town-wide "Water Resource District" DCPC designation is merited due to the following: _ 1) Under- the Cape Cod Commission Act, .Section 10 (a) , Cl: "The presence of significant natural, coastal, cultural, archaeological, historic, economic, and recreational resources or values of regional, statewide, or national significance". 2) Suggested criteria listed in the Cape Cod Commission District of Critical Planning Concern, Appendix A: ' (1) , "Water Resource District" is important to the protection of an aquifer, watershed, aquifer recharge zone, or surface .water body, with the following considerations: - - - - (i) Without special regulations in the district, development or - waste disposal could endanger the quality or quantity of water. (ii) , Studies or expert advice indicate that the designation and _ regulation of the district could be effective in protecting the quality or quantity of water. Supporting Facts: _ Mashpee's sole source of drinking water is supplied by sub-surface groundwater in the area known as the Sagamore Lens. The groundwater in the SagamoreLens is also of regional importance because it supplies drinking water to the towns of Sandwich, Falmouth, Barnstable and portions of Bourne and Yarmouth as well. The water resources of the Sagamore Lens include wellhead protection areas, private wells, freshwater recharge areas, marine recharge areas, and future supply wells. Each public supply well in the Sagamore Lens is fed by groundwater from a defined recharge area, also referred to as a Zone II or wellhead protection area. (See Volume 2, Appendix 7, "Sagamore Lens: Focus on Groundwater Protection".) The Federal Clean Water Act requires all states to identify waterbodies that do not meet state standards and to develop "Total Maximum Daily Loads" (TMDLs) for them. TMDL stands for Total Maximum Daily Load and is a-calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant from all. contributing point and non-point sources that a waterbody can accept and still meet the state' s Water Quality Standards for public health and healthy ecosystems. Point sources are primarily wastewater treatment plants that discharge to surface waters or groundwater. Non-point. sources include septic systems, stormwater discharges via runoff over the land surface, and .fertilizer runoff from lawns and golf courses. The. nutrient causing the degradation of salt water embayment. systems is nitrogen, while excess phosphorus from land-based activities degrades the health of fresh water bodies. Massachusetts sets statewide Water Quality Standards for a variety of uses such as drinking water supplies, fishing, recreational swimming and boating, and healthy ecosystems for plants and animals. The State maintains and publishes a -listing of the conditions of Massachusetts' waters pursuant to Sections 303(d) and 305 (b) of the Federal Clean Water Act entitled "Massachusetts 2004 Integrated List of Waters". (Volume 3, Appendix 16) - - - In recognition of the problems caused by excess nutrient loading in the 89 estuaries in southeastern Massachusetts, The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (D.E.P.) initiated a program. called "The Massachusetts Estuary Project (M.E.P. ) . The goal of this program is to determine which estuaries are being impacted by excessive nutrients and to identify their sources. This 3