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<br /> During 2012, a Draft MEP Report, jointly
<br /> Report of the funded by Mashpee and Falmouth (Mashpee Town
<br /> Sewer Commission Meeting provided 25%,or$23,625,of the MEP report
<br /> costs),was also released for the main body of Waquoit
<br /> Bay, Childs River and Eel River in Falmouth. After
<br /> To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the public and agency review of the Draft Report,a Final
<br /> Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: MEP Report and TMDLs are expected to be promul-
<br /> During 2012 the Commission continued to make
<br /> gated in 2013. However, one finding of the new
<br /> Report, in revisiting the modeling of the "East
<br /> progress toward completing the Watershed Nitrogen Waquoit" portions of the overall Waquoit Bay water-
<br /> Management Plan (WNMP), intended to serve as a shed, is that significantly more nitrogen is stored in,
<br /> blueprint for solving the severe nutrient-caused water
<br /> quality problems in our bays and ponds and meeting and is being released from accumulated bottom sedi-
<br /> menu (the result of previous decades' nitrogen loads
<br /> the state and federal regulatory targets set for nitrogen and algae growth and die-off) into the waters of
<br /> levels in our estuaries.Three plan options,focused on Hamblin and Jehu Ponds ("benthic flux") than was
<br /> finding appropriate discharge areas for treated waste-
<br /> water and identifying how the towns in the previously assumed. This has made the task of clean-
<br /> ing up those water bodies and meeting their TMDL
<br /> Popponesset and Waquoit Bay watersheds can share targets much more problematic than we expected,as
<br /> the responsibility for their cleanup,were forwarded to there is more nitrogen entering the water column in
<br /> UMass-Dartmouth in the spring for testing with the those ponds from benthic flux than from wastewater
<br /> Massachusetts Estuaries Program (MEP) models of and other sources,meaning that even complete sewer-
<br /> the Popponesset and "East Waquoit" watersheds. ing of those watersheds now does not appear to meet
<br /> Results were received in November,which will guide the TMDL targets.
<br /> preparation of a draft final WNMP and implementa-
<br /> tion plan in 2013. The plan will then be submitted to However, there is growing evidence that it may
<br /> DEP, MEPA and the Cape Cod Commission for be possible, based on the work of our Shellfish
<br /> required approvals. Constable Rick York and others, to remove a signifi-
<br /> cant portion of the water column nitrogen load
<br /> As reported in previous years,the Massachusetts through seeding of large numbers (millions) of shell-
<br /> Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) fish, using Littlenecks in Hamblin and Jehu Ponds,
<br /> Massachusetts Estuaries Program engaged the Great and Little Rivers and Shoestring Bay,and asig-
<br /> UMass-Dartmouth School of Marine Science and nificant expansion of current oyster propagation
<br /> Technology and other sub-consultants to model nitro- efforts in the Mashpee River and Popponesset Bay.
<br /> gen loading and pathways, and establish nitrogen Both DEP and EPA have recently indicated s willing-
<br /> loading targets,for both the Popponesset Bay (includ- ness to consider the inclusion of such efforts in our
<br /> ing Shoestring Bay, Mashpee River, Ockway Bay, WNMP In conjunction with sewering and other nitro-
<br /> Popponesset Creek and Pinquikset Cove) and "East gen reduction measures such as stormwater bio-reten-
<br /> Waquoit" (including Sedge Lot Pond, Jehu Pond, tion areas,fertilizer restrictions,development controls
<br /> Great and Little Rivers, Hamblin Pond and the and land purchases to reduce "buildout" population
<br /> Quashnet / Moonakis River) estuaries. The recom- and other measures,shellfish seeding and commercial
<br /> mendations from these reports were used by DEP to harvesting on a large scale may both make meeting the
<br /> set formal nitrogen targets, the TMDLs (Total TMDL targets for Hamblin and Jehu Ponds possible,
<br /> Maximum allowed Daily Loads of nitrogen),for each and also ultimately reduce the area of the Town that
<br /> of those estuaries. TMDLs, enforced by DEP, are has to be sewered(thus reducing resulting costs)while
<br /> required by the federal Clean Water Act, and those providing local jobs and economic development.For
<br /> DEP TMDL reports have been approved by EPA those reasons,the Commission strongly supports Mr,
<br /> under the Act.The Town is faced(along with the other York's proposals. We are also following closely the
<br /> towns which share the Bays' watersheds) with the studies being done in Falmouth and other places
<br /> need to determine how we will meet those targets.The regarding alternatives to sewers, although, to date,
<br /> WNMP project is intended to identify the most cost- none has demonstrated its feasibility at the scale
<br /> effective approach to reducing nitrogen in each of our required to meet our mandated nitrogen targets.
<br /> coastal watersheds to levels that meet the targets.
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