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Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission <br /> 16 Great Neck Road North <br /> Mashpee, MA 02649 <br /> Responding to a question about system performance during storm and flood events, particularly in coastal <br /> flood zones, Mr. Baumgaertel acknowledged this as a significant and understudied concern. In addition to <br /> potential impacts on treatment performance, coastal systems that rely on control panels, blowers, and pumps <br /> are vulnerable to power outages and saltwater inundation. He cited research from the University of Rhode <br /> Island on saltwater impacts to leach fields and noted ongoing efforts to secure grant funding to study design <br /> and recovery strategies for systems in flood-prone areas, including elevating critical components and planning <br /> for rapid replacement of damaged equipment after major storms. <br /> When asked about"lessons learned" from MassTC's testing work, Mr. Baumgaertel highlighted two major <br /> findings. First, actual nitrogen concentrations in household wastewater are substantially higher than long-used <br /> modeling assumptions. While many models assume influent around 45 mg/L, MassTC sampling of septic tank <br /> effluent commonly shows concentrations closer to 80 mg/L. This discrepancy suggests that models may be <br /> underestimating nitrogen loading to watersheds. Second, successful performance of advanced systems depends <br /> heavily on proper design and installation. Installers accustomed to conventional Title 5 systems sometimes <br /> carry over shortcuts that are not acceptable for more complex I/A units, leading to problems such as uneven <br /> tank bedding, cracked piping, and damaged airline manifolds. He stressed the need for better workforce <br /> training and stricter attention to installation details. <br /> In response to questions about future uptake and commercial success, Mr. Baumgaertel noted that Nitrex has <br /> seen some success in other regions (such as Suffolk County, Long Island)but lacks enough Massachusetts <br /> installations to progress quickly through the state approval process. NitROE, having started in Massachusetts, <br /> has built a local base of roughly 200 systems and is close to meeting the provisional data requirements for <br /> general approval. However, NitROE remains a relatively young company, still hand-manufacturing its tanks, <br /> and may face scaling challenges if demand increases sharply. He expressed hope that larger, established <br /> manufacturers will develop comparable systems and bring their production capacity to bear, making it possible <br /> to meet regional wastewater planning needs. He also observed that earlier statewide regulatory proposals that <br /> would have required rapid, widespread installation of FA systems were likely unrealistic because <br /> manufacturing capacity could not ramp up quickly enough. The current watershed-permit framework provides <br /> a more workable approach. <br /> A Commissioner asked that Mr. Baumgaertel email his slide deck to staff so that the Commission could <br /> review the visuals that could not be shared during the meeting, and he agreed. She also asked where residents <br /> could find the list of MassDEP-approved "best available nitrogen-reducing technologies." Mr. Baumgaertel <br /> replied that the information is available on MassDEP's website and can be found by searching that term. <br /> Mr. Baumgaertel was then asked several follow-up questions about urine diversion. He explained that many <br /> urine-diversion setups can operate entirely by gravity, with urine fixtures draining to a basement tank or to a <br /> tight tank in the yard. Household toilets typically use a standard flush for solids while diverting urine <br /> separately. In some configurations, small pumps or vent fans may be used, but urine systems can often function <br /> with minimal power demand. He agreed that urine diversion could be a promising, hurricane-resilient option in <br /> flood-prone areas because tight tanks can be designed and ballasted to withstand inundation, leaving only a <br /> graywater system to manage in flood zones. He noted that management infrastructure for collected urine is still <br /> developing,but at least one company in Massachusetts is already producing registered urine-derived fertilizer <br /> products (including one called"WeeBloom"). He invited commissioners to visit the test center to see urine- <br /> diverting fixtures, composting toilets, and related technologies in operation. <br /> On financing, Mr. Baumgaertel clarified that the Cape Cod Aqua Fund is currently available to assist <br /> homeowners with failed systems, whether the failure is hydraulic (e.g., leach field failure) or defined by a town <br /> as an environmental failure due to nitrogen impacts. In communities where a watershed plan or local regulation <br /> requires nitrogen-reducing upgrades, homeowners may use Aqua Fund loans to install advanced I/A systems, <br /> 5 <br />