3/10/2011 ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Minutes

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iii. The decline in the health of the pond has led to closings for multiple weeks each summer during the past five years. By reversing this decline and preserving the pond water quality at acceptable levels, the project will expand the time available for recreational use each summer season. iv. The presewation of Santuit Pond will maximize the utility of this surface water body, which otherwise will continue to decline to an entirely non-useful state for recreational purposes. 3. Community Support: What is the nature and level of support for this project? The initial concern over the declining condition of Santuit Pond was expressed by Town vote to allocate funds (approximately $58,000) for the AECOM study. An opinion article appeared in the Mashpee Enterprise, authored by Allen Waxman and Quan Tobey, advocating the use of the proposed solar powered circulators. The Friends of Santuit Pond (FSP) have conducted an extensive campaign on behalf of this project for 2 years now, as documented on their website. During the summer of 2010, the FSP conducted an educational outreach campaign and collected over 250 signatures on a petition supporting this project, and submitted the petition to the Board of Selectmen in September 2010. The Mashpee Environmental Coalition (MEC) have advocated for this project in their quarterly newsletters and on their website. The Mashpee EOC voted its endorsement for the proposed project and recommended it to the Board of Selectmen in September 2010. The Board of Selectmen endorsed the proposed project in its submission of a letter of interest in funding from the Mass Environmental Coalition. In recent discussions with Selectmen Taylor and Cahalane, Friends of Santuit Pond were encouraged to pursue funding for this project from the CPC. (These endorsements are documented in the attachments to this application.) 4. Timeline: Once funding is approved for the procurement of the solar powered circulators, a purchase order can be submitted and delivery is typically in 4—8 weeks following receipt of the purchase order. During this same period of time, or prior to submission of the purchase order, the necessary permits can be obtained from the Mashpee Harbormaster. If funds can be allocated following a vote at the May Town Meeting, there is a good possibility that the circulators can be deployed on the pond during August 2011. If the vote does not occur until the October Town Meeting, the purchase order can be submitted and permitting can follow, and the circulators will be installed in early spring 2012. 5. Success Factors: The key success factor is the suppression of the recurring algae blooms. Lessening the severity of the blooms so as to not have the Board of Health close the pond during summer season would be a great success. Quantitative metrics of success will be based on a suite of measurements to be conducted weekly on water quality, including clarity (visible depth) using a Secchi disk, depth profiles of dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, phosphorous concentration, and pH. Volunteers (from FSP and MEC and others) will collect data at several locations around the pond, and the Shellfish Constable will also support whole pond data collects. There is also an instrumented sonde deployed underwater in the pond by the Wampanoag Tribe, which provides continuous measurements at depth at one location in the pond. A list of prior successes and personal testimonials from users of SolarBee long-range circulators is attached.