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HW compiled existing municipal and regional regulations and policies for fertilizer management <br /> from the Pleasant Bay Towns of Brewster, Chatham,Harwich, and Orleans, as well as the latest <br /> Cape Cod Commission Regional Policy Plan, and identified performance standards related to <br /> fertilizer management. Most of the existing town regulations were developed with the goal of <br /> protecting drinking water supplies and other water resources, and are therefore designed to <br /> manage nitrogen loading within the wellhead protection areas to the towns' wells (Zone I and <br /> Zone I1), and within buffers to resource areas. Existing town regulations do not specifically <br /> control loading impacts to Pleasant Bay or other coastal estuaries;however towns offer some <br /> protection through buffers to wetland resource areas,which could include Pleasant Bay or one of <br /> its sub-watersheds. In addition,the town Conservation Commissions take the opportunity to <br /> control lawn size and lawn fertilization practices in the issuance of Orders of Conditions for new <br /> projects within their jurisdiction. All four towns within the Bay currently require a 50-foot"no <br /> disturb"buffer around wetland resource areas. HW recommends that town Conservation <br /> Commissions continue to strictly enforce those provisions and also work with property owners <br /> seeking Orders of Conditions on existing developed properties to enhance or restore buffers. <br /> HW conducted a review of fertilizer management strategies used by other municipalities across <br /> the country to gain insight into practices used elsewhere that may be applicable for use in the <br /> Pleasant Bay Watershed. Based on this search,HW identified and evaluated 16 programs for <br /> their applicability within the Pleasant Bay watershed towns, including regulatory programs such <br /> as model ordinances and bylaws, non-regulatory programs such as education and outreach, and <br /> Best Management Practices (BMPs) for fertilizer applications such as organic lawn care,nutrient <br /> management, and golf course management. <br /> Based on analyses of the MEP model, existing regulations of Pleasant Bay towns, and fertilizer <br /> management practices across the country,HW initially identified 17 strategies that were <br /> presented for consideration by the Pleasant Bay Alliance Watershed Work Group. These <br /> strategies were then the focus of a detailed discussion at a May 26, 2010 Work Group meeting to <br /> select the following six strategies for further analysis: <br /> 1. Management strategies to minimize fertilizer applications on municipal properties, <br /> athletic fields and parks; <br /> 2. Strategies to minimize,to the extent feasible, fertilizer applications on golf courses, as <br /> they represent 8.3%of the total controllable nitrogen load to Pleasant Bay; <br /> 3. Enforcement of 50-foot no disturb buffers around wetland resource areas, and restoration <br /> or enhancement of wetland buffers on existing properties where possible; <br /> 4. Outreach and education techniques for year-round residents, second home owners, and <br /> landscape professionals to encourage improved fertilizer practices; <br /> 5. Training for turf grass managers to encourage fertilizer and landscaping practices to <br /> minimize the use of nitrogen; and <br /> 6. Regulations to reduce the size of lawns created through future development within the <br /> watershed, as fertilizer applications from existing residential development constitutes <br /> 6.8%of the controllable load to the Bay. <br /> A summary of the benefits of these recommendations, implementation issues and costs are <br /> provided in Table ES-1, and they are discussed in more detail in Section 5 of the report. <br /> Pleasant Bay Fertilizer Management Plan ii Horsley Witten Group,Inc. <br /> Final Report December 2010 <br />