Laserfiche WebLink
Have you ever wondered why some 250,000 - <br /> bays and ponds on the Cape turn green <br /> or brown? 200,000 <br /> c 150,000 <br /> You may have noticed a change in color, or an <br /> abundance of what looks like seaweed. These a 100,000 <br /> are algae blooms, and they can become dense <br /> enough to kill eel grass and smother life at the 50,000 <br /> bottom of the estuaries. <br /> 0 <br /> Why is this happening? 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 <br /> As the chart shows, Cape Cod has undergone steady growth in the number of <br /> households during the past four decades. That is good news for our local economy <br /> and for the value of our properties, too. But we are now at risk of destroying the very <br /> resource that provides us with so much value, simply because the way we handle <br /> wastewater from our households and businesses is harming the ecology of the bays. <br /> In short, we have grown too much to continue using our simple septic systems. There <br /> is too much wastewater now for us to keep putting it in the ground without <br /> consequences. <br /> Can we all live here without damaging the bays? <br /> Yes. The good new is, the environmental damage can be halted and even reversed. If <br /> you flush, you can help bring back the blue. Tried-and-true technology exists so that <br /> wastewater that comes from our houses to the bays can be clean enough to stop <br /> fouling the waters. <br /> Over the next year, Cape communities will need to begin making decisions about <br /> what kind of wastewater collection and treatment systems make the most sense. <br /> Through your town meeting, in the town paper, and perhaps online, you will begin <br /> hearing a debate about what systems are best and how to balance the needs of the <br /> bays with our individual and community needs. Eventually, you will be called upon to <br /> cast your vote for a particular solution. <br /> The purpose of this brochure is to provide you with background information so you <br /> are fully informed about the issues being debated. More information can be found at <br /> www.CapeKeepers.com. The Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative hopes you will <br /> add your voice to the debate and ask questions, so when the time comes you will <br /> make an informed and considered choice in the voting booth or at town meeting. <br /> www.CapeKeepers.com <br />