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<br />Freshwater Ponds Committee <br />September 16,2025 <br />Minutes <br /> <br />Falmouth Urine Diversion Project Update <br />Members discussed several ongoing water quality and sewer initiatives, including <br />Falmouth’s innovative urine diversion pilot involving 25 homes and a soon-to-launch <br />American Standard urine-diverting toilet. Mashpee’s own sewer project was highlighted, <br />including potential phosphorus (PO4) collection for fertilizer reuse. The group emphasized <br />the need for more community engagement around pond health, noting that some ponds <br />have active groups (like Briarwood), while others, such as John’s Pond, are looking to form <br />one. There was strong support for developing a comprehensive pond management plan <br />and building a local database of Mashpee’s 40+ ponds. Committee members also <br />discussed expanding water quality monitoring with more regular data collection and <br />supporting Mashpee’s water quality sta?. Questions were raised about the town’s policy on <br />IA systems versus sewer hookups, and there was agreement that more clarity is needed. <br />The group agreed to focus on setting short-term goals, building public education e?orts, <br />and clarifying their advisory role with the Select Board. A shared goal emerged: to <br />coordinate pond groups, improve data collection, and eventually make informed <br />recommendations to the town. <br />OLD BUSINESS <br />Goals for the Mashpee Ponds Committee <br />1. Establish Pond-Based Community Engagement ("Friends of" Groups) <br />Support the formation of a “Friends of \[Pond Name\]” group for each major pond in <br />Mashpee. These groups would serve as the primary community engagement mechanism <br />between the Ponds Committee and individual pond communities, helping to organize <br />education, stewardship, and advocacy at the pond level. <br />2. Build a Comprehensive and Accurate Pond Data Collection <br />Develop a reliable, organized inventory of all ponds in Mashpee (clarifying whether there <br />are truly 69) and identify which organizations are currently collecting and maintaining data <br />for each. <br />Long-term goals include: <br /> Creating a method to regularly update this data <br /> Establishing a volunteer network to collect and supplement information, especially <br />where existing organizations do not have full coverage <br /> Developing a “Mashpee Blue Book” modeled on the Orleans version to centralize <br />and share pond-related knowledge <br /> <br />