9/10/1996 WATERWAYS COMMISSION Minutes

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Mashpee Waterways Commission Comprehensive Waterways Improvement Plan 26 August 1996 Need Popponesset Bay and Waquoit Bay and their tributaries are complicated systems that are suffering from pollution. All have excessive nutrient levels, and in particular the Mashpee River and Santuit River suffer from elevated Coliform Bacteria levels. If no action is taken, they will cease to be attractive areas in which to live and play. When that happens,property values will decline and tourists will go elsewhere to spend their money. When waterfront property values decline, tax rates for homes not near the water will have to be increased to make up for the loss in revenue. In addition to the pollution problems, our inherently shallow waterways must be dredged from time to time to remain navigable. Dredging inlet channels also has a beneficial effect of increasing the exchange of polluted water with less polluted ocean water. It is in everyone's best interest to invest in correcting our waterways problems. Background During the past year we have been renewing dredging permits for portions of Popponesset Bay and Waquoit Bay. In our attempt to obtain permits to dredge the Mashpee River and Ockway Bay as well, we discovered we had grossly underestimated the cost of new pen-nits so postponed applying for new permits. The permits in progress will allow maintenance dredging of the channel from the mouth of Popponesset Bay to the sound, the channel leading toward Popponesset Creek, and the entrance to Little and Great Rivers in Waquoit Bay. These waters have shoaled in and were in need of dredging this year. Recognizing that dredging is not a one time affair, but needs to be re-done periodically, we decided to lay out an overall master plan that would deal with navigational and pollution problems on'a continuing basis. Proposed Strategy We believe that the best strategy is to define a multiphase project to determine what new dredging actions make sense and then plan and budget for their implementation on a continuing basis. We should seek permits to cover all of the dredging we might need, then only dredge what we can afford. If we don't cover everything in the permitting process, we will have a greater expense and a large delay to go back and re-initiate additional permits. We also need to do maintenance dredging on a continuing basis as channels fill in. i Maintenance Dred in Pernlittin in rocess Maintenance Dredge Popponesset and Waquoit Bays - Spring 1997 Conduct Post Dredging Survey (required) to prove conformance with permit.