George Chapman, a resident of East Falmouth, responded to my request for questions about wastewater issues. He brings up the cost of sewering, deemed by many as the greatest unfunded state mandate in history. How can residents get involved to make sure their tax dollars (and betterment fees) are being spent wisely?
I have lived in Falmouth for over twenty five years. Our streams, ponds, and shorelines are tanking while we talk this issue to death. Please simplify the process for me. Who in town is ultimately responsible? What board or managerial position must get this done? Who must decide what to do, when to do it, and when can we be given a timeline against which we can measure their progress?
- George A. Chapman, Sady’s Lane, East Falmouth
George brings up an interesting point, which perhaps only reporters covering wastewater issues have any clue about: who is responsible for this mess? Let’s start with the beginning.
For the last 100 years, residents of Cape Cod have been flushing their toilets and not thinking twice about where the effluent goes. But as our population density increases, our waste is having a big impact on the beaches, shellfish beds, and marinas we hold so dear.
The majority of residents have septic tanks that collect and process wastewater (the contents of your toilet bowl, the kitchen sink, and the washing machine) based on a simple concept: given enough air and nutrients, bacteria will break down all the toxic stuff, and the tank will only have to be pumped out every few years. However, a seeminly benign nutrient–nitrogen, the basis for protein–tends to seep out of septic tanks, entering the groundwater, and eventually flowing to a coastal pond near you. Other sources of nitrogen in estuaries come from fertilizer and road runoff, and to some extent, animal poop.
- Here’s what eel grass should look like
- An all too familiar sight in Falmouth harbors
The large concentrations of nitrogen that our waterways contain now are enough to trigger algal blooms, especially in hot summer weather. As the algae eventually dies off, it releases a noxious odor that some residents may be familiar with. Not fun to swim in! But for the ecosystem, it is even worse. The algae blocks sunlight from reaching the eel grass, which used to grow in thick mats along the shoreline of nearly every harbor. Eel grass provides essential habitat for shellfish, which adhere to its blades as babies, and juvenile finfish, which hide out and find food in the swaying green forest. If the algae situation gets really bad, it can rob the water of the dissolved oxygen fish need to survive. In extreme situations, fish kills can occur.
To combat this growing ecological catastrophe, provisions under the federal Clean Water Act set up a mandate for removing nitrogen from coastal ecosystems. The Massachusetts Estuary Project (MEP) was set up to study every coastal pond in the state to determine the level of degradation caused by nitrogen– and the Total Maximum Daily Limit (TMDL) that the waterway can handle while still supporting marine life. The TMDL’s vary according to each coastal pond, but generally, in Falmouth, the waterways south of Route 28 in East Falmouth have the most stringent limits; in West and North Falmouth, the recommended TMDL is about half of the current nitrogen output. The reason is simple: more people = more nitrogen.
The Big Pipe Solution
Currently, only 3% of Falmouth is served by a sewer: parts of Woods Hole, downtown Falmouth, Falmouth Hospital, and Falmouth High School. The main proposal on the table for removing nitrogen (and other nutrients) from our waste stream is to install sewer lines connecting homes to the existing wastewater treatment facility on Blacksmith Shop Road. The first phase of this proposal targets the neighborhoods south of Route 28, at an estimated initial cost of $250 million. What to do with the wastewater once it is treated is still up for debate.
To answer George’s question, there are several people in charge of figuring out the thorny, expensive details. The main go-to guy is Jerry Potamis, the town’s Wastewater Superintendent. He is in charge of drafting the town’s Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan and making sure that the town’s wastewater complies with DEP standards. I wouldn’t want to have his job!
In addition to Jerry, a number of citizens and town officials sit on the Nutrient Management Working Group, which has been working for years to incorporate environmental, public health, and finance considerations into the CWMP. The working group’s mission has just about ended, however, as selectmen have decided to create a formal town committee with a clear mandate and televised meetings to involve more residents in the debate. That committee is tentatively named the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, and will work with a facilitator hired by the town to gather public input on townwide sewering.
To answer one of your questions, George, the person who is ultimately responsible for the project is the Royal “You.” Residents who are concerned about how sewering will impact their tax bill– or how not addressing the problem will impact the environment– are encouraged to volunteer for the advisory committee. While there is a limit on how many members can serve, residents can also get informed by hosting a “sewer social” with members of FACES and the Coastal Pond Management Committee. If you would simply like to voice your concerns, you may get in touch with Town Manager Bob Whritenour or one of your selectmen.
The timeline for the biggest public works project this town has ever seen is a long one, estimated at about 20 years, once we finally get a CWMP approved by both residents and state authorities. As you can imagine, how to fund this project– at approximately $600 million, all told– will not be easy, and money in the state’s revolving fund for low-interest loans is dwindling. Citizens are doing the right thing by demanding that the sewering be done right the first time, with serious public input. But the time to get started was yesterday.
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
Great information, thanks!
Kudo’s for a great start on your blog and a well written response to a very relevent question
The plan will start to be implemented subject to final state and town approval A overide will be needed and wastewater could start flowing no sooner than five years after town approval.(assume 1-2 year design and a 2-3 year construction period).
The issue is not a big pipe solution but a set of systems that can meet water qulity standards, are technically feasible with minimum environmemntal and finacial risk to the town and affordable to our residents
Currently, only about 4% of Falmouth is served by a sewer: parts of Woods Hole, downtown Falmouth, Falmouth Hospital, a portion of Surf Drive Beach area, Falmouth High School, and our latest addtion New Silver Beach.
The main proposal in our recommended Comprehesive Wastewater Management Plan ( CWMP ) for removing nitrogen (and other pollutants) from our wastewaster is to construct a highly advanced wastewater treatment facility at one of three sites: the Massachusetts Military Reservation, a site on the Falmouth Country Club, or an expansion at the existing wastewater treatment facility on Blacksmith Shop Road. The discharge of the water is also subject to another set of alternative. Falmouth is currently decentralized since we have more that one wastewater treatment plant( Blacksmith Shop Road and New Silver Beach). New Silver Beach is closer to a cluster systems since it serves a limited area. The definition of cluster, satellite or package systems are all subsets of a decentralized system. I urge all readers to follow the link to our town web page http://www.falmouthmass.us/deppage.php?number=401 or on our project web page http://www.falmouthwastewaterprojects.org. Don’t forget to look at the Needs Analysis and the Alternative Screening Reports dated 2007. All the relevent technologies are discussed individually and in a screening matrix. Additional information is also readily available via a variety of internet search engines.
Jerry Potamis
Falmouth Wastewater Superintendent
Thank you Elise for a very thoughtful and informative post.
I just wanted to make two comments:
(1) The post says “The main proposal on the table for removing nitrogen (and other nutrients) from our waste stream is to install sewer lines connecting homes to the existing wastewater treatment facility on Blacksmith Shop Road.” Three potential wastewater treatment sites have been evaluated in detail: the existing Blacksmith Shop Road facility site, a site adjacent to the existing wastewater treatment plant (Otis WWTF) on the Massachusetts Military Reservation, and a site adjacent to the Falmouth Country Club. I would clarify that the core recommendation in the Draft Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan (to which there is a link in your post) is to collect wastewater from the southcoastal pond watersheds starting with the area south of Route 28, construct a centralized highly advanced wastewater treatment facility at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, and recharge the treated wastewater using wells constructed along the Route 151 corridor. As you note above, the Selectmen have formed a Plan Review Committee to review this draft plan, collect public input, and provide recommendations.
(2) Because the New Silver Beach wastewater system was brought online last year, I would add the New Silver Beach area to the list of areas of town that are currently sewered (this slightly increases the percent of developed properties in town that are sewered from about 3% to about 4%).
Thank you Elise for a very thoughtful and informative post.
I just wanted to make two comments:
(1) The post says “The main proposal on the table for removing nitrogen (and other nutrients) from our waste stream is to install sewer lines connecting homes to the existing wastewater treatment facility on Blacksmith Shop Road.” Three potential wastewater treatment sites have been evaluated in detail: the existing Blacksmith Shop Road facility site, a site adjacent to the existing wastewater treatment plant (Otis WWTF) on the Massachusetts Military Reservation, and a site adjacent to the Falmouth Country Club. I would clarify that the core recommendation in the Draft Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan (to which there is a link in your post) is to collect wastewater from the southcoastal pond watersheds starting with the area south of Route 28, construct a centralized highly advanced wastewater treatment facility at the Massachusetts Military Reservation site, and recharge the treated wastewater using wells constructed along the Route 151 corridor. As you note above, the Selectmen are in the process of forming a Plan Review Committee to review this draft plan, collect public input, and provide recommendations.
(2) Because the New Silver Beach wastewater system was brought online last year, I would add the New Silver Beach area to the list of areas of town that are currently sewered (this slightly increases the percent of developed properties in town that are sewered from about 3% to about 4%).
Kudo’s for a great start on your blog and a well written response to a very relevent question
The plan will start to be implemented subject to final state and town approval A override will be needed and wastewater could start flowing no sooner than five years after town approval.(assume 1-2 year design and a 2-3 year construction period).
The issue is not a big pipe solution but a set of systems that can meet water quality standards, are technically feasible with minimum environmental and financial risk to the town and affordable to our residents
Currently, only about 4% of Falmouth is served by a sewer: parts of Woods Hole, downtown Falmouth, Falmouth Hospital, a portion of Surf Drive Beach area, Falmouth High School, and our latest addition New Silver Beach.
The main proposal in our recommended Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan ( CWMP ) for removing nitrogen (and other pollutants) from our wastewater is to construct a highly advanced wastewater treatment facility at one of three sites: the Massachusetts Military Reservation, a site on the Falmouth Country Club, or an expansion at the existing wastewater treatment facility on Blacksmith Shop Road. The discharge of the water is also subject to another set of alternative. Falmouth is currently decentralized since we have more that one wastewater treatment plant( Blacksmith Shop Road and New Silver Beach). New Silver Beach is closer to a cluster systems since it serves a limited area. The definition of cluster, satellite or package systems are all subsets of a decentralized system. I urge all readers to follow the link to our town web page http://www.falmouthmass.us/deppage.php?number=401 or on our project web page http://www.falmouthwastewaterprojects.org. Don’t forget to look at the Needs Analysis and the Alternative Screening Reports dated 2007. All the relevent technologies are discussed individually and in a screening matrix. Additional information is also readily available via a variety of internet search engines.
Jerry Potamis
Falmouth Wastewater Superintendent
One of the arguments put forward for sewering part of Falmouth and building a new sewage treatment plant is that it will improve people’s property values and thus increase revenues for the town under proposition three and a half. If this is true, then how much do we expect home property values to rise in the sewered areas and town revenues to increase in order to help fund this state mandate ? How will this financial benefit compare to the large increase in taxes; betterment fees; water/wastewater fees and other costs of the average Falmouth resident (both those being sewered and those that will continue to use of septic systems) ? What would be the cost/benefits if the town instead choose to use community cluster systems to meet our wastewater infrastructure requirements ? Finally what would the added costs be for treating emerging contaminants of concern (endocrine disrupters, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, household cleaning products, etc.) through use of either the centralized treatment/sewering approach versus the cluster system option ?
Locales in the Western U.S. that release “partially treated” sewage effluent back into their groundwater are required to treat the effluent to address health threats from viruses and emerging COCs. Some of this treated effluent is used to water golf courses and other non-drinking water uses in order to conserve a scarce resource in a dry environment and increase water use efficiency as a way of reducing costs to the communities and residents. This issue will become more important as the climate disruption process moves forward. Falmouth should address these cost/benefits issues as we plan our transition to sustainability in the face of climate change. There appear to be no serious discussion of these concerns as our town discusses the centralized approach with sewering in comparison to the community cluster system option. I don’t know the answers to these questions which makes i hard for me as a retiree to decide which option to support.
David,
You bring up very salient points about the cost-benefits of sewering. Although nothing is official, a proposal from Town Manager Bob Whritenour divided the costs for installing the sewer line at 70% to the homeowner through betterment fees, and 30% to the town. The town would also foot the bill for the design, treatment, and recharge costs. The financing would result in an additional 40 cents to the tax rate– or $160 per year for a $400,000 home.
Mind you, this is not a done deal, and it all depends on the final CWMP proposal. However, you bring up a great point– a betterment fee, while it is borne by the homeowner, should bring up property values.
One important point that you bring up regarding treatment for nutrients beyond nitrogen– i.e. phosphorus and pharmaceuticals, etc.– is the central reason why the town and DEP will likely insist on a centralized wastewater treatment plant to be included in the CWMP. Down the road, if these elements (now referred to as TOCs for their carbon content) must also be removed from the waterways, it would be much easier/cheaper to install the technology to do so in one place than in several cluster systems around town. In good conscience, our town officials anticipate the need to do so and are trying to plan for the future. Your points about wastewater re-use, especially in gray water applications, should be taken seriously in light of conserving this precious resource.
As the town goes back to the drawing board to address alternative collection, treatment and discharge options, the cost-benefits of each option should be carefully considered and clearly explained. I encourage you, with all your experience in environmental issues and citizen advocacy, to join the newly created Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan Review Committee (that’s a mouthful!). Applications will be accepted by selectmen through Feb. 26.
Elise,
Thanks for the informative reply !!!
My volunteer time is fully allocated at the moment, so that I will not be able to join the town’s CWMP Review Committee. The total organic carbon (TOC) threshold in the wastewater treatment plan will not address the emerging contaminants of concern, since these toxic chemicals are bioactive at parts per trillion levels (six orders of magnitude less than the TOC threshold). Doing chemical analysis for the emerging COCs at such low concentrations for a broad array of endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, household cleaning products, etc. is challenging analytically and very expensive.
I don’t know whether TOC is a good proxy for emerging COCs. One would need to ask Dr. Laurel Schaider (Silent Spring Institute), who is doing a study on the effects of housing density and sewage in the zones of contribution of some of our Cape Cod public water supply wells on the COC levels in the raw groundwater. My guess is that one should develop some type of bioindicator of the effects or metabolism for some of these emerging COCs in water. For example, the U.S. Geological Survey looks for the female yolk protein (vitellogenin) in the blood serum of male fish as an indicator of endocrine disruptor activity in streams. Laurel probably knows more about potential bioindicators for groundwater than I do. The other thing that is different about the emerging COCs is that unlike most toxic chemicals which have linear dose/response curves (that allows one to infer effects observed at higher concentrations to the no effect levels), these COCs can have greater bioactivity at low concentrations than higher ones (i.e. nonlinear dose/response curves).
One final point is that Pio Lombardo claims that his “nitrex” cluster system has some positive effects on removing these emerging COCs. Part of this removal comes from the treatment system itself and natural attenuation within the surface soil from drip disposal release of the effluent degrades some of these chemicals as well. I don’t fully understand how this works, but George Heufelder can probably describe the drip disposal system effectiveness, since he has done work with septic systems on Cape Cod looking at this issue. It is certainly true that most of the cities/towns involved in gray water reuse/injection of treated wastewater to restore their aquifer utilize centralized sewage treatment plants. Drs. David Reckhow and Nicholas Anastas do research in this area on advanced oxidation techniques and will probably discuss this at the February 24 meeting on “Wastewater and Emerging COCs” which is being held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth.
Take care,
David
Dear Elise:
Thank you for this very important subject.
Many questions must be discussed, as the above entries show, and I want to emphasize the very important issues of the Contaminants of Concern such as PHARMACEUTICALS ( discarded medications, etc.) and all other CHEMICALS in the wastewater stream.
Over all, we all must be dedicated to conserving drinking water as no society can survive without water to drink, and water to nourish all living things, animal and plant.
We must conserve, protect and retain control over our fresh water.
I include here an announcement of a discussion of these issues: Thank you,
Alison
************
Wastewater and Contaminants of Concern
with Dr. Laurel Schaider of the Silent Spring Institute, and
Dr. David Reckrow of UMASS, Amherst.
Wednesday, February 24, 7-9 pm
Uniterian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth
840 Sandwich Road, East Falmouth, MA
508-457-0449
Dear Elise:
The subject you chose here is of great importance. The comments above about cost, choices and wastewater show how difficult the issue is to resolve.
I want to add to it the importance of CONSERVING AND PROTECTING our drinking water, far into the future. No society has survived without drinking water for us and all animals and plants. We should not WASTE it.
Also are the CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN such as discarded medications and other chemicals.
There will be a public discussion of these issues on
February 24, 7 pm
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth
840 Sandwich Rd., East Falmouth
with Laurel Shaider of the Silent Spring Instute, and
David Reckhow of UMass, Amherst.
Please join us.
Alison
Since both the centralized sewage treatment plan option and the community cluster system approach can remove nutrient pollutants and a portion of the toxic organic contaminants, the CWMP Advisory Committee might want to focus not just on the cost/benefit aspects of the problem, but examine the outcomes that we would like to see. The outcomes would include improvement in the water quality in our coastal embayments/recovery of key habitats such as eelgrass beds and closing the water loop on land between the public water supply well zones of contribution (ZOCs) and the effluent discharge areas from the wastewater treatment operations (some combination of centralized plant(s) and community cluster systems).
I hope that the town’s CWMP and the Advisory Committee will address the following issues:
* What type of monitoring program will the town implement to follow water quality improvements in our coastal embayments following implementation of our wastewater infrastructure upgrades ? Similarly on land we will need sentinel wells for our public water supply sources to make sure that the emerging contaminants of concern (CoCs) don’t enter our drinking water.
* We need to develop some type of flexible management approach that can incorporate the monitoring results and changes in regulatory requirements that will enable us to make mid-course corrections in the CWMP. This is often referred to as adaptive management.
* Since large expenditures of public funds create jobs in the private sector, we need to consider the direct, indirect and induced benefits from these public expenditures in our cost/benefit analysis. Economists often use the IMPLAN Pro software to estimate these contributions, even though I am sure there are other tools available to do this as well, that others know more about than myself. Having an accurate cost/benefit estimate and prioritization of the expected outcomes on land and in the water should guide the choice of the wastewater infrastructure upgrade approach from my perspective.
* We need to look at the big picture on how our wastewater infrastructure upgrades fits into the town’s climate action plan and our transition to sustainability, since moving all of this water around in sewers, treating it in a centralized facility/community cluster system and discharging the effluent back into our groundwater will require a lot of energy. We need to develop an integrated response that will link public expenditures to private sector benefits, while at the same time reducing the financial costs to homeowners. The homeowner financial costs could include: reconfiguring their basement plumbing in order to connect to sewers in the street; betterment fees for connection to the sewers; increased property taxes or water/wastewater fees for those not on the sewer system; payments made on borrowed funds for capital improvements; etc.
We will get this fixed, and right the first time. There is much good data to work with and the CWMPRC is a well rounded group.
Perhaps by encouraging local people to do the actual work by developing sub filed bid requirements we can keep the money in our local economy.
I hope funding is restored to stormwater management line item. The reccomended annual funding is $150,000.00. Currently unfunded.
I hope we can agree to install more tidal flushing at Little and Bournes Pond immediately.
We know these need doing.
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