12/18/2025 SEWER COMMISSION Minutes (2)

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Town of Mashpee Sewer Commission t 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 • He attended a Conservation Commission meeting to receive guidance, and coordination with Conservation is underway. • Work is progressing on a groundwater discharge permit, with one submittal targeted before the holidays and additional submittals expected early next year. • A contractor pre-qualification process is underway,primarily for the treatment system portion (not the linear portion). Connections, Flow, and Treatment Performance In response to questions: • Out of 296 single-family homes, 35 remain to connect. Summerwood, Sea Oaks and the Housing Authority were reported as connected. The Commission noted some remaining connections involve extenuating circumstances handled individually. • Daily flow had not consistently reached 50,000; it was reported as teetering between 40,000 and 50,000, and Phase I was expected to push the system past the next testing threshold. • The system required reseeding, and the food-to-microorganism ratio was described as variable, but overall performance was reported as stable and improving. • Nitrogen levels were reported as below five, described as around 4-5. • Mr. Drainville stated treatment is biological; the "filter" allows higher biomass concentration and is not a separate chemical step. Some nitrogen is removed with solids, but reductions were described as primarily biological. Watershed Management Plan /Notice of Project Change Mr. Drainville provided an update on the Watershed Management Plan (also described as a DEP "Notice of Project Change") and its relationship to TMDL compliance: • A draft was presented earlier in the year, with primary comments received from the Sewer Commission and DPW. • GHD met with DPW to coordinate paving plans to avoid paving roads and later reopening them for sewer work. • The phasing plan was presented as tied to TMDL compliance, with a watershed permit application required within five years, followed by a 20-year permit period to meet requirements. • The recommended plan includes six components: sewering, cluster systems, shellfish aquaculture, fertilizer management, I/A systems, and stormwater management. Watershed comparisons and constraints: • Popponesset Bay was described as highly degraded; the Town was projected to barely meet TMDL even with extensive sewering and credited measures, assuming those measures perform as planned. • On the Waquoit Bay side, less sewering was projected, and a later phase (Phase 10) was described as a contingency area. • Sub-phasing was discussed, noting Phase 4 is broken into sub-phases on the map to reduce visual complexity. • Potential cluster-system opportunities were described in constrained areas (wetlands/conservation land) as conceptual options rather than confirmed facility sites. • Mr. Drainville stated a specific solution had not been finalized for Popponesset Island.