5/18/2010 SEWER COMMISSION Minutes

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Mashpee Board of Sewer Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 18,2010 Mashpee Town Hall, Selectmen's Meeting Room Present: Chair Tom Fudala, Oskar Klenert, Burton Kaplan, Jack Malarkey, Ralph Marcelli, Tom O'Hara Also Present: SMaST-Brian Howes, GHD (formerly Stearns&Wheler)-Bill Hall & Jeff Gregg; Lombardo Associates-Pio Lombardo CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order with a quorum by Chairman Tom Fudala at 7:02 p.m. AGENDA ITEMS Welcome Members introduced themselves to the Commission and to the public: Oskar Klenert-At Large,Burton Kaplan-At Large, Jack Malarkey-Precinct 1, Ralph Marcell i-Precinct 3, Tom Fudala-Precinct 4, Tom O'Hara-Precinct 2. A Commissioner representing Precinct 5 is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks. Summary on Mashpee's Watershed Nitrogen Management Plan (WNMP) and Preliminary Effluent Pipeline Design Chairman Fudala reported that the Sewer Commission was first elected in 1988 but the new Charter mandated that Commissioners be appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The recent Town Meeting Article has since expanded the Commission membership to 7. Nitrogen contamination of the watersheds was first discovered in the 1980s. High nitrogen levels were detected during a study and attributed to bacterial contamination. During the mid 1980s, Mashpee purchased land along the rivers to mitigate nitrogen issues but it was later learned that nitrogen sources were well beyond the area of the rivers, in locations such as Sandwich and Barnstable. Private wastewater treatment plants were initially proposed by consultants as a solution during the late 1980s when Weston& Samson suggested developing a sewer system around the private treatment plants. Many projects were not developed while Willowbend and Stratford Ponds developed their own treatment centers. During the late 1990s, Mashpee considered adopting a Mashpee River DCPC through the Cape Cod Commission Act. Although the request failed, an education effort called "Watershed Year" was developed to inform residents about nitrogen issues. On-site denitrifying systems administered by management systems were a popular concept during the late 1990s. No targets were available at the time to determine the allowable amount of nitrogen and effectiveness of individual systems. Later, a study in 2004 determined that if all homes had their own de- nitrifying systems, the bays would be in worse condition at buildout condition. Dr. Brian Howes of SMaST (UMass-Dartmouth School for Marine Science& Technology)was hired by the Town to analyze Popponessett Bay and the Mashpee River and to identify reasonable levels of nitrogen to maintain or restore the river and bays and set targets for planning purposes. The 1999 Town Meeting agreed to fund a wastewater facilities plan titled the"Mashpee Watershed Nitrogen Management Plan(WNMP) and Preliminary Effluent Pipeline Design" that would study sources, set targets and identify a cost effective solution to meet the targets. The State recommended 1