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(over 100,000 gallons per day). All of the scenarios the County,but we are assured that the mediator's work were submitted to SMaST to be tested for their effec- will begin in early 2011. Determining each town's fab tiveness in meeting the TMDLs using the MEP mod- share of responsibility is a key element in our planning els. The results of the model runs were presented at process, as it will help determine what amount of the Commission's meetings in November and wastewater treatment and other nitrogen reduction mea. December 2009. After the delay caused by the sures Mashpee will have to fund and implement. restructuring of the Commission,those scenarios were distilled down to the draft plan noted above, using a In August, at the request of the Commission and combination of approaches from the five scenarios. Pirates Cove residents, the Selectmen funded and sub. mitted to DEP a loan application for$226,085 for site Meanwhile, testing was begun by GHD on a and engineering studies regarding a "Permeable potential treatment plant and effluent discharge site Reactive Barrier" option to intercept and treat ground. located east of the Town's solid waste transfer station water flowing from the Pirates Cove subdivision to on Ashers Path. Because federal funding provides a Popponesset Bay. Based on small-scale tests at two portion of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan which sites in the Waquoit Bay estuary, it is hoped that such , is funding most of the WNMP project,the site had to be a barrier could remove most nitrogen from groundwa. reviewed by the State Archaeologist, who required an ter. entering the bay from septic systems and other "intensive archaeological survey"of the site. The Town sources in the subdivision, avoiding the need for sew- was required to fund the $7942 survey, using ering the neighborhood. Construction of such a system Development of Regional Impact mitigation funds held was estimated to cost $2.9 million. By the end of the by the Cape Cod Commission,which was completed by year, we had not heard if the proposal will be funded. The Public Archaeological Laboratory, Inc. No arche- ological deposits were found, and the study was As 2011 begins,the next task for the Commission, approved by the State Archeologist on October 29. As our consultants and our Community Advisory a result of this delay, GHD's installation of wells and Committee will be to finalize one or two versions of our test pits on the site could not be done until early 2011. draft plan, after receiving the reports of the three col- lection system vendors,for more detailed development, GHD and its sub-consultant Regina Villa review and costing, as well as testing using the MEP Associates, working with Commission member Jack models. Based on the results of that work and a review Malarkey and Community Advisory Committee of capital and long-term operating costs, management (CAC) member Beverly Kane, also began develop- issues and public acceptance, selection of a final plan ment and implementation of a public information pro- will be done and a final draft of the Watershed Nitrogen 3 gram regarding our nitrogen problem and the WNMR Management Plan will be completed and submitted for The first result of that work was the establishment of required county and state review and approval. It is a web site, www.mashpeewaters.com, which explains hoped that,barring further unforeseen delays,that sub- the nitrogen problem,the WNMP and where our work mission will be made by the end of 2011. stands. The site went live on December 15 and '> includes links to all the documents generated as part of The Commission and Mashpee officials and res the WNMP as well as the MEP reports for our estuar- idents have serious work cut out for us over the next l ies and other web sites dealing with the nitrogen issue. few years to identify funding and financing strategies The group will also be developing informational and priorities related to developing the facilities rec- kiosks and informational brochures to keep Mashpee ommended in our plan to clean up our waterways. residents informed on the issue and our progress. Among other issues, the Town will have to devise a fair division of the large costs involved between indi In May the County approved a $27,000 grant to vidual betterments and general property taxes,as well fund a mediator to meet with Mashpee and the three as how to deal with developments that already have other towns which lie with in the Popponesset and private sewer systems (which would need to be Waquoit Bay East estuaries to develop agreements as to upgraded to help meet the TMDLs). It will also have each town's share of responsibility for the cleanup of to be determined by the voters whether or not the those estuaries and meeting the TMDL targets. Mashpee Water District will become a water and Unfortunately, that work was delayed by the County's sewer district, with the potential for large annual say, need to deal with the Conservation Law Foundation's ings over a separate Town sewer organization. (The suit regarding the TMDLs and threatened suit against public opinion survey conducted in early 2010 as part 138