2003-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commission's consultant engineers, Bill Fisher and Dave Andrews of the URS Corporation, who were intensely involved with both the design and monitor- ing of the work: Also intrinsically involved was Assistant Town Administrator, Jim Marr; we thank ,. him for his responsiveness and diligence. 2003 also saw the rebuilding of the treatment s plant for the FS-1 EDB Plume at the Quashnet bogs. su.. 1 The plant had burned down in October of 2002. In addition to being rebuilt, the treatment infrastructure was expanded and improved. Erosion problems in the For the upcoming year, some of our major actio- construction area in the areas adjacent to the plant ities will be to continue to be involved with MUy Fere effectively addressed. The Commission would NIS b t like to thank Lisa Strock of Jacobs Engineering for her converting the vacation and sick leave records.We will r effective training opportunities for coordination of these efforts to remediate construction continue to provide e employees, to work closely with the Affirmative impacts. I Action Committee on "No Place for Hate" activities, This past summer (in June) saw the worst algal y to continue to be more involved with Benefits bloom seen to date in Waquoit Bay and Little River. r Management, continue to computerize department The magnitude of the bloom was worse than experi- e records, continue to take a leadership role in updating enced in the past. Unfortunately, a repetition is likely, I work rules, policies, as well as continuing to be a and the situation will likely worsen as even greater e resource for all municipal town employees. I look for concentrations of nitrates enter the Bay. A complete r ward to the many new challenges ahead. description of the causes and effects of our I' s Nitrate/eutrophication problems is beyond the scope !' I Respectfully submitted, of this report. Suffice it to say, this is a human-cause Marilyn Farren problem, as too much nitrate acts as a "fertilizer", Personnel Administrator stimulating excessive growth of macro algae. Nutrient loading (nitrate-nitrogen)has been extensively studied h and it is well documented that it is primarily caused by septic stems, landscape fertilization practices and to Report of the P Y P ,t a lesser extent road runoff. These nitrate loads Conservation Commission t emanate from many square miles of the contributing watershed. The bloom, which lasted into July, was I' i To the Honorable Board of Selectmen most noticeable on the Seconsett Island side of Waquoit Bay,but floating algae was also noted for the e and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee first time in Little River. Dead and dying algal mats _ were washed ashore; on Seconesett Island, odorous j In October of 2003, Vice-Chairman Elliot Iles were as much as 15 inches high and extended n Rosenberg left the Commission. Elliot's contributions over 100 yards into Waquoit Bay proper. Recently, j d as an officer and very active member spanned two (December 23, 2003) there was another significant terms and three decades. Being an attorney, the e Commission relied on him for legal expertisebloom in the same area. Therefore,itis almost aguar- 1' y , but his antee that spring and summer will bring the same .s common sense and ability to sort out complex issues result. were also irreplaceable contributions. He will be sore- ly missed. �1 The algal bloom problems include health and y, safety (slip and falls and decaying sea life odor), dis- j is After many years of planning, the Commission posal (currently not allowed at the dump), shellfish is was finally able to complete the re-construction of the habitat compromised, and management of recurring Quashnet River/Johns Pond water-control structure blooms. The Mashpee Conservation Commission was and fish ladder. Despite a few early, anxious moments one of the first in the State to enact local nitrogen-load l with spring-water seeps collapsing the excavated area standards,but these regulations can only slow down an t r- adjacent to the Pond, the contractor, Jeff Vaughn of ever-worsening problem. No meaningful mitigation to Marine Tech,overcame these difficulties and complet- g this serious problem can be realized without awater- ee ed the project on time, within budget and with quality shed-wide approach, one that will neither be inexpen- workmanshi Special credit should also o to the t P• P g sive nor easy s 127