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to be connected to the proposed new Town wastewater Report of the facility adjacent to the Transfer Station and the Sewer Commission conceptual plans were finalized in August 2017. The adjustment was made as a result of proposals for a much larger development at Mashpee Commons. It To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the became apparent that, along with the size of the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: wastewater flows from the logical sewer collection areas that might be connected to their treatment plant, The Town took only minor steps forward in 2018 which has limitations on its capacity for enlarged toward achieving the work outlined in the Watershed treatment and discharge, the larger Commons project Nitrogen Management Plan(WNMP)developed by the would make the original collection and treatment Commission and our consultants and approved by the proposal infeasible. An alternative treatment plant state(MEPA and DEP)in 2015. and/or discharge site will have to be found for those The Plan was finally approved by the Cape Cod flows,most likely involving treatment at the proposed Commission (CCC) in 2018 under their Development new Town wastewater plant and/or the construction of of Regional Impact (DRI) regulations, as consistent an effluent discharge pipeline to discharge beds under with their recently-adopted "208" Cape-wide the New Seabury golf course. Meanwhile, the wastewater plan. uncertainty regarding the Tribe's Land into Trust status leaves the possibility of tying into their completed but In 2017,the Towns of Mashpee,Barnstable and unused treatment plant on Meetinghouse Road up in Sandwich negotiated and signed an Inter-Municipal the air. Should it not be available,the wastewater that Agreement(IMA)between the three Towns.The IMA would have gone to that plant will go to the proposed identifies each town's share of responsibility for the Town plant. nitrogen loads reaching Popponesset Bay and for bringing those loads down to the levels necessary to Regarding design of the Town plant,the next step in Phase 1 of the Plan, in December 2017 the restore the ecological health of the Bay and it's sub- embayments, based on the Total Maximum Daily Commission received the Selectmen's support for the Loads (TMDLs) established by the EPA, which were use of$450,000 of DRI nitrogen mitigation funds from in turn based on the multi-year Massachusetts Estuary a number of development projects,being held for the Town's use by the Cape Cod Commission, to fund Program study done by UMass-Dartmouth as described at our mashpeewaters.com website. The IMA also preliminary design of the treatment plant.It was hoped commits the Towns to achieving the nitrogen that design work would begin in 2018.A contract was reductions for which each is responsible and provides developed and signed by GHD and the Commission in for a mechanism by which the Towns can share June, However, approval by Town Counsel was not resources, including the transfer of funds from one received until August 29. Town to another to pay for facilities or other actions Meanwhile,while May Town Meeting approved which may be the most cost-effective in achieving the necessary nitrogen reductions. $10,000 to restore the part-time Sewer Commission Administrator (contract) position, as the Chair retired In June 2018,an initial meeting was held between as Town Planner in January and no staff was left in Mashpee, Sandwich and Falmouth regarding Town Hall to support the Commission's work, the development of a similar IMA for the Waquoit Bay Selectmen have declined to fill the position and,as of watershed and it's sub-embayments, although no the end of the year the Commission was still in further progress has been made. discussions with the Town Manager regarding the staffing situation. As a result of the lack of October 2015 Town Meeting funded$100,000 for administrative staff,work could not begin on the GHD the development of conceptual plans for sewer treatment plant design project in 2018.However,based collection systems to be tied into the existing Mashpee on perceived progress with the Town Manager Commons and Wampanoag Tribal wastewater regarding the staffing situation, GHD was authorized treatment plants. The project scope was adjusted to to begin work in January 2019. include conceptual plans for sewer collection systems 166