Bioreactor Cranberry Bogs
On July 28th, Barnstable Clean Water Coalition partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency, The Nature Conservancy, and Mount Holyoke College to install a woodchip-based bioreactor in an existing ditch in Hamblin’s Cranberry Bog. What we are hoping to achieve is the nutrient content reduction of water that comes to the surface before it reaches the […]
Who are those people in those waders?
The Marstons Mills River is the connection between our groundwater and the Three Bays Estuary. Because of this, BCWC water sampling assistant and water stewards focus on monitoring the chemical makeup and waterflow at multiple points along the river once a week. We do this by taking small bottle water samples that are then sent […]
Willets: Determined to Thrive
Out on Deadneck/Sampson’s Island, fencing lines the majority of the center of the island for declining coastal bird species like the Piping Plovers and the Least Terns. There is one other bird species that has found the protected area a perfect place for them to lay their eggs and that would be the Willet. Today, […]
Plovers & Terns
Piping plovers Cape Cod is home to numerous shorebirds throughout the summer, one of which being the piping plover. Piping plovers are a small, gray shorebird with an orange bill and black ring around the neck. When not foraging along the wrack line for invertebrates or protecting their chicks, these plovers spend their winters down […]
PFAS: What Are They and Why Do We Care?
On Cape Cod, there has been data collected in past years showing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, accumulating in local waters. But what are PFAS and why are they such an urgent matter? PFAS, are synthetically made chemicals used for product application that allow oil and water repellency, temperature resistance, and friction reduction to […]
Algal Blooms
In our last post, we discussed the cause of our algal blooms and associated water quality problems here on the Cape (if you haven’t read it yet, go here!). Today we will be diving into their human and ecological impacts. In both freshwater and saltwater, the impacts are due to toxins being released into the […]
Coalition Quarterly – Issue 13 (Fall 2020)
Coalition Quarterly – Fall 2020 Newsletter Click on image to read more >> This Coalition Quarterly includes an EPA Bulletin insert.
Nutrient Overload 101
Barnstable Clean Water Coalition has been working to improve local water quality. But why are such efforts necessary? For both fresh and saltwater, the main problem is excess nutrients, more specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. Their existence is not a problem. In fact, nitrogen and phosphorus are keys to a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Issues arise, however, […]
Lawsuit seeks major steps to stem septic pollution
Lawsuit seeks major steps to stem septic pollution Conservation Law Foundation says Mashpee, Barnstable and Mass. DEP have ‘utterly failed’ to protect waterways Geoff Spillane gspillane@capecodonline.com Published 2:00 a.m. ET Sep. 17, 2020 BOSTON — An impending lawsuit by an environmental advocacy organization could wreak havoc on the real estate market in the towns of Barnstable […]
Lawsuit could disrupt real estate market in 2 Cape Cod towns (9/17/20)
Lawsuit could disrupt real estate market in 2 Cape Cod towns Cape Cod Times Geoff Spillane gspillane@capecodonline.com BOSTON — An impending lawsuit by an environmental advocacy organization could wreak havoc on the real estate market in the towns of Barnstable and Mashpee. The Conservation Law Foundation has notified the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and […]