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Massachtisetts Estuary Project(MEP) <br /> Linked Watershed Embayment Model Peer Review_ <br /> from previous peer reviews,reviews and comments by the Town of Orleans Wastewater Management <br /> Validation and Design Conunittee(WMVDC), commments from other stakeholders,and numerous papers <br /> and reports from government agencies and the published scientific literature. The Panel was asked to <br /> focus on the Pleasant Bay and Bournes Pond systems as case studies. <br /> The Panel relied upon published reports,presentations by the project team,led by the University of <br /> Massachusetts Dartmouth, School of Marine Science and Technology(SMAST),and a question and <br /> answer session with the team following their presentations. The Panel identified what it considered to be <br /> key technical issues and discussed each of them in this report. Many other issues had been identified in <br /> previous studies and reviews. Issues were not specifically discussed in this report if the Panel did not <br /> consider them to be of strategic concern,they were not part of the MEP approach,they were not part of <br /> the charge to the Panel, or if the Panel did not consider them to be significant. <br /> 3.5. Process' <br /> This scientific peer review process was independent and objective, and operated externally from the <br /> Collaborative and from any other Cape Cod stakeholders.' <br /> The first meeting of the Panel was a kick-off teleconference on October 10. Shortly thereafter,CH2M <br /> Hill, the coordinating organization for the review,set up a Project Insight Website. Project Insight is a` <br /> web tool that allows project teams to exchange information and documents,and to collaborate during the <br /> delivery of a project. Panel members reviewed MEP documents,reports from previous peer reviews, <br /> WMVDC reviews and comments,comments fiom other stakeholders,and numerous papers and reports <br /> from government agencies and the published scientific literature. <br /> The Panel produced a memorandum on October 21 that provided a preliminary summary of key technical <br /> issues and included requests for additional information from the SMAST Team. Panel members met <br /> again via teleconference on October 31 to discuss these preliminary technical issues. The SMAST Team <br /> produced a Memorandum on November 7 that provided responses to the October 21 Memorandum by the <br /> Panel. Panel members then participated in a coordination meeting with the SMAST Team via <br /> teleconference on November 9. <br /> Panel members participated in a workshop in Sandwich,MA,November 13-16. The first day included a <br /> group tour by boat of the Pleasant Bay system. Individual panel members also visited Bourns Pond. <br /> The second day included presentations by SMAST,Applied Coastal Research and Engineering, <br /> Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection(MDEP),the Comprehensive Wastewater <br /> Management Plan(CWMP)and the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS). These presentations were followed <br /> by a question and answer session between the Panel and all of the presenters. The Panel then deliberated <br /> in closed sessions for the next day and a half. <br /> The Panel presented its preliminary findings to the Collaborative Board of Directors at a public meeting <br /> in Hyannis,MA, on the afternoon of November 16. The presentation was followed by discussions and <br /> questions from the Board, and then questions from the public and other attendees. <br /> This written report documents all of the findings,conclusions and recommendations of the MEP <br /> Scientific Peer Review Panel. - <br /> December 30,2011 �- 7 � <br />