03/20/2025 SEWER COMMISSION Minutes (2)

Home Browse Search

Town of Mashpee Sewer Commission t 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 Meeting Minutes of the Mashpee Sewer Commission Thursday, March 20, 2025; 2:00 PM Mashpee Town Hall -Waquoit Meeting Room 16 Great Neck Road North, Mashpee, MA 02649 *In-person and televised meeting* Present: Chair, Meredith Harris (via Zoom); Vice Chair, Alfred Towle; Clerk, Catherine Castaneda; Commissioners Phyllis Sprout; Mohan Nair, and Joseph Lyons; Wastewater Superintendent,Jared Meader; and Ashley Fisher,Water Quality Coordinator. Vice Chair,Al Towle called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. in open session. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a moment of silence. Minutes The Vice Chair requested any changes or comments to the minutes of February 20, 2025. Mr. Lyons motioned to approve the minutes as submitted. Motion seconded by Ms. Sprout. Motion passed by unanimous consent. Public Comment Diane Phillips of Wheeler Road on Ashumet Pond. Ms. Phillips noted she is a resident of a freshwater pond that is contaminated repeatedly from other sewerage issues including Joint Base Cape Cod and commented that an Alum Treatment will be done for phosphorus contamination.She questioned how the phosphorus from the water treatment plant being extracted from all the sewage and is it adequate so that the downstream effluent from the water treatment plant does not adversely affect the freshwater (fertile pools, marshes, etc.)that are south of the water treatment plant?Anastasia Rudenko with GHD answered Ms. Phillips' question by describing how nitrogen is in the soil and how phosphorus is in the soil and ground water. Nitrogen travels more freely in ground water and phosphorus tends to be absorbed into the soil.When they look at effluent recharge sites,they look at how far that phosphorus is anticipated to travel, and if it were in the pathway of a freshwater pond, they would implement a phosphorus treatment system at the pond. However,for a treatment plan that is currently under construction, it is far enough for a freshwater body that phosphorus is not needed at this point, but it is evaluated. Sensitive receptors, including freshwater systems (vernal pools, wetlands, kettle ponds, lakes and streams) are monitored. Ms. Phillips asked if EPA approval is needed for that effluent for the exact area and, if so, had it been done. Ms. Rudenko answered that at this point, EPA has not set phosphorus TMDLs(total maximum daily load) in the same way that it set nitrogen TMDL but if a water body was identified as being impaired,that would be the next step, including a diagnostic study (similar to what Mashpee just completed in Mashpee/Wakeby) to quantify the sources of nitrogen coming in and what the maximum threshold can be in that pond so that one can look at how much needs to be removed in order to keep a healthy ecosystem. Ms. Rudenko continued that if it is identified that it is a potential downstream receptor, and as a threat effluent sites are monitored,they identify three sensitive receptors and identify if additional evaluation is needed in order to maintain their health. For example, if they were citing treated effluent recharge immediately upstream of a freshwater pond or within the boundary of where that phosphorus is anticipated to migrate through groundwater to the freshwater system,then there would be the recommendation to do an additional evaluation. As of right now, it goes from the recharge beds to the Mashpee river but it is far enough away that the majority of the phosphorus is attenuated in the soil and does not migrate to the river itself. Ms. Phillips asked if there would be any impact on the vernal pools or any of the natural or protected species in the area.