CONTACT | DONATE | EVENTS

Barnstable Clean Water Coalition
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • BCWC Board of Directors
    • BCWC Staff
    • Contact Us
  • EVENTS
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Educate
    • Monitor
    • Mitigate
    • Advocate
  • NEWS
  • GET INVOLVED
  • RESOURCES
    • BCWC Video Library
    • A Guide to Clean Water Living on Cape Cod
    • Native New England Garden
    • Cape Cod Water Quality Management Plan (208 Plan)
    • Affiliated Organizations
    • APCC’s Cyanobacteria Monitoring
    • MassDEP
    • Water Quality Information
    • Town of Barnstable Resources
    • Town of Barnstable’s Water Resources Brochure
  • DONATE
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • BCWC Board of Directors
    • BCWC Staff
    • Contact Us
  • EVENTS
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Educate
    • Monitor
    • Mitigate
    • Advocate
  • NEWS
  • GET INVOLVED
  • RESOURCES
    • BCWC Video Library
    • A Guide to Clean Water Living on Cape Cod
    • Native New England Garden
    • Cape Cod Water Quality Management Plan (208 Plan)
    • Affiliated Organizations
    • APCC’s Cyanobacteria Monitoring
    • MassDEP
    • Water Quality Information
    • Town of Barnstable Resources
    • Town of Barnstable’s Water Resources Brochure
  • DONATE
Homepage > News > Barnstable: Wastewater plan in the works (1/4/19)

Barnstable: Wastewater plan in the works (1/4/19)

January 4, 2019 In News

Cape Cod Times
By Geoff Spillane
Posted Jan 4, 2019 at 7:36 PM
Updated Jan 5, 2019 at 7:31 AM

Barnstable: Wastewater plan in the works

Town responds to critics with overview of efforts, timeline for final draft.

HYANNIS — The town of Barnstable has a message for critics who recently faulted it for not having a comprehensive wastewater management plan: We have been working on solutions for years and the plan is forthcoming.

During a nearly two-hour, 50-slide presentation and discussion at the Barnstable Town Council meeting Thursday, Daniel Santos, director of the Department of Public Works, provided a detailed overview of wastewater management efforts undertaken in the Cape’s largest town since 2015.

“We are committed to the estuary issues,” said newly elected Town Council President James Crocker. “There is no other town on the peninsula that is as forward-thinking on this than the town of Barnstable.”

Crocker said it was important to show townspeople how many professionals experienced in the subject are employed by the town — several attended the meeting — and how much time has been spent on wastewater management issues.

Controversy about the lack of an approved wastewater management plan emerged in the fall when the Barnstable Board of Health was asked to consider an amendment to modify or eliminate interim regulations to restrict nitrogen flow into saltwater estuaries.

The regulations, which affect most of the town south of Route 6, were put in place 10 years ago to restrict the nitrogen flow by limiting development in certain areas. They were meant to be temporary until the town developed and adopted a comprehensive plan.

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells has said he advocates easing the interim regulations for a 500-foot buffer along Route 28 through town to allow for housing development opportunities.

The Board of Health has continued a hearing on the matter until Jan. 22.

The lack of a plan opened the town up to criticism from some community leaders and environmental groups, including a threat of a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation if any of the regulations were lifted. A 2011 lawsuit by the foundation was the impetus for the mandated development of the Cape’s Section 208 regional water-quality management plan.

A final draft of the Barnstable plan will be submitted to the Town Council in the spring, and plans will be presented to the Cape Cod Commission and state Department of Environmental Protection in the summer and fall, respectively, according to a timeline included in Santos’ presentation.

The plan, designed to be flexible to accommodate changing environments, emerging contaminants of concern and new technologies, is being developed to encompass three 20-year phases, Santos said.

Santos highlighted many traditional and nontraditional projects already underway in town, including expansion of the Attucks Lane pump station; designs for sewer system expansion in the areas of Long Pond and Phinney’s Lane; Cotuit Bay Inlet and Mill Pond dredging; aquaculture in Warren’s Cove; cranberry bog conversions in Marstons Mills; alternative septic system installations; placement of permeable reactive barriers; and stormwater treatment activities.

“I think we were able to provide the Town Council a very detailed, comprehensive look at what our wastewater planning activities have been,” Santos said. “It allowed them to come up to speed on issues and start conversations on funding and implementation.”

Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, praised the town for preparing to submit a plan, but noted it is not finished yet.

“They don’t have a county- or state-approved plan,” he said.

Zenas Crocker, executive director of the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, called the presentation “very solid” and a step in the right direction, but thought the 60-year duration for carrying out solutions was too long.

“Planning is one thing, but action is another,” Crocker said. “We need to start instituting sooner rather than later.”

At its next meeting Jan. 17, the council will hold public hearings to appropriate $250,000 for a feasibility study to evaluate using the wastewater treatment facility at Joint Base Cape Cod for future sewer expansion for western areas of town and $250,000 to retain a consultant to begin conceptual planning for sewer expansion into the village of Cotuit.

“I think we have a professional management team at the DPW that we should be proud of,” Town Councilor Jennifer Cullum said. “Through better engagement with the community and civic associations, hopefully we can get the word out that significant progress is being made (on the wastewater management plan) and we are planning for the future.”

Cape Cod Times – Barnstable: Wastewater plan in the works

Cape Cod Times News
Previous StoryEasing of Barnstable’s nitrogen rules could prompt lawsuit (1/2/19)
Next StoryFla. red tide episode kills record number of sea turtles (1/17/19)

Barnstable Clean Water Coalition

  • Email
    info@BCleanWater.org
  • Phone
    508-420-0780
  • Address
    PO BOX 215
    864 Main Street
    Osterville, MA 02655

Recent Posts

  • Newsletter Fall 2022 Winter 2023
    Coalition Quarterly – Special Double Issue – Issue 21 & Issue 22 (Fall 2022 & Winter 2023) Thursday, 22, Dec
  • BCWC Featured on WXTK (12/11/22) Sunday, 11, Dec
  • Thousands of Cape Cod homeowners may need to replace septic systems under new state regulations (11/28/22) Monday, 28, Nov
  • BCWC Summer 2022 Newsletter
    Coalition Quarterly – Issue 20 (Summer 2022) Tuesday, 25, Oct
  • Nitrogen Reclassification Will Put Emphasis On Innovative Systems (8/31/22) Wednesday, 31, Aug

Popular Posts

  • Coalition Quarterly – Issue 15 (Spring 2021) posted 2 years ago
  • Coalition Quarterly – Issue 17 (Fall 2021) posted 1 year ago
  • Neighbors Take Action to Save Their Ponds posted 2 years ago
  • Resources for Upcoming Citizen Forums – Town of Barnstable Sewer Assessment Ordinance Presentation posted 2 years ago
  • Welcome to the Living Laboratory: Come Learn with Us posted 3 years ago

Blog Post Tags

Algae BCWC Projects Books Cape & Plymouth Business Media Cape Cod Groundwater Guardians Cape Cod Online Cape Cod Times Cape Cod Today Cape Media News Cape News Clean Water Mondays Clean Water Wednesdays Coalition Quarterly Cranberry Bogs Design With Nature DNSI EPA Harmful Algal Blooms I/A Septic System Technology MA Oyster Project Mashpee Enterprise Massachusetts Oyster Project MASSTC Michael Egan's Editorials News Newsletter New York Times One Drop Leads to Another PFAS Press Release Sea Level Rise Septic Systems South Coast Today The Barnstable Patriot The Boston Globe The Enterprise Bourne The Falmouth Enterprise The Inquirer and Mirror The Martha's Vineyard Times The Standard Times Three Bays Preservation Newsletter Washington Post Watershed Action Alliance WBUR Wicked Local

Archives

  • DONATE
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAILS

Three Bays Preservation, Inc. dba Barnstable Clean Water Coalition is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID#:  04-3338308.

Copyright ©2019 Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy | Terms | Sitemap | Site Produced by Coastal Mountain Creative