Under the Lens by Elise Hugus
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Posts Tagged ‘Sewering’
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
A typical urine-diverting toilet collects solid and liquid waste, which could be processed into fertilizer, removing nitrogen from the waste stream
Considering that we all flush at least three times a day, it’s surprising how little we know about where our waste goes. Into a white bowl and then down a pipe— never to be seen, smelled, or thought of again.
But as many Cape Codders are beginning to realize, that’s not really the case. The by-products of our waste are seeping out of underground septic systems and into the groundwater, flowing finally into coastal ponds. The nutrients are harmless by themselves, but in concentrated form, throw off the ecological balance of sensitive estuarine systems.
Though there are many nutrients and “contaminants of concern” to be worried about, nitrogen is known as the culprit for changing pristine harbors into algae-filled swamps, devoid of marine life. Or so we fear. (more…)
Tags: aquaculture, cape cod, composting toilets, Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan, contaminants of concern, David Dow, Diane Murphy, fertilizer, George Heufelder, gray water, John Ramsey, Michael Giggey, Nitrex, nitrogen, permeable membrane reactors (PRB), Rick York, Ron Zweig, Sewering, shellfish, urine diverting toilets, Wastewater, water reuse
Posted in Sewering, sustainable solutions, Wastewater | 4 Comments »
Friday, December 24th, 2010
Discussion at a Falmouth Board of Health meeting over a proposed nutrient management bylaw–likely to be on the April town meeting warrant–sparked an important exchange between a lawyer who tends to represent homeowners and builders and a board concerned that a sewer system will encourage development, thus increasing the town’s nitrogen load. (more…)
Tags: cape cod, composting toilets, Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan, Earle Barnhart, Falmouth, Hilde Maingay, nitrogen, Sewering
Posted in Sewering, sustainable solutions, Wastewater | No Comments »
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Most people, when they think about Cape Cod, think about seafood. But very little of the shellfish we consume actually come from local waters! After decades of decline, the local shellfish industry is woefully underdeveloped, while overfishing and over-development of waterfront housing has caused the downfall of a once-fertile industry.
Given that its now easier to find oysters from Duxbury and mussels from Prince Edward Island than it is to get locally-sourced seafood, this locovore’s dilemma begs the question: which came first? The shellfish or the septic system? The problem or the solution?
(more…)
Tags: aesthetic costs, aquaculture, commercial fisheries, composting toilets, eel grass, Falmouth estuary, fertilizer, Marine Policy Center, nitrogen, Ron Zweig, sequestration, Sewering, shellfish, TMDL, Wastewater, WHOI
Posted in fisheries, Sewering, sustainable solutions, Wastewater | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
A Hatchville couple wants the town to consider home-based wastewater treatment options before moving forward with a multi-million dollar, centralized sewage treatment system. (more…)
Tags: Alchemy Farm, aquaculture, biogas digester, cape cod, composting toilets, Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan, Earle Barnhart, Falmouth Climate Action Team, fertilizer, gray water, Hilde Maingay, packaging toilets, Ron Smolowitz, Ron Zweig, Sewering, shellfish, The Green Center, Todd Ecological Design, urine diverting toilets, Wastewater, water reuse
Posted in sustainable solutions, Wastewater | 4 Comments »
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
A question from Ric Gerace, Alma Road, Falmouth:
High tide flooding covers Menauhant Road
I would like to know why, in all the discussion on the half-billion dollar sewer project, there has been not one word on global warming and sea level rise. There is no question that the sea level is rising, and this century it is likely to rise sufficiently to make the health of the coastal ponds a moot question. … It seems to me that spending that much money to protect ponds that will soon enough be part of the Atlantic is a huge waste of resources.
(more…)
Tags: Climate Change, Coastal Resources Working Group, Coastal Zone Management, global warming, IPCC, Rob Thieler, sea level rise, Sewering
Posted in Climate Change, Request for ideas, sea level rise, Sewering, Wastewater | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
As coastal towns in Massachusetts work out ways to deal with their wastewater, jumping through regulatory hoops often precludes thinking outside the box.
While we have to take the issue of nitrogen (and other nutrient) pollution seriously, we also need to examine the unintended consequences of sewering the entire coast. What impact will pumping and discharging millions of gallons of water have on the aquifer, not to mention, on CO2 levels in the atmosphere? What are some ways we as residents can reduce our nitrogen output on an individual scale?
(more…)
Tags: Aqua Tex, Denis LeBlanc, discharge, Ed Clerico, Eric Davidson, Falmouth Friendly Lawns, fertilizer, gray water, meat, nitrogen, outfall pipe, Patrick Lucey, Sagamore Lens, Sewering, Todd Ecological Design, Wastewater, water reuse, Woods Hole Research Center
Posted in Climate Change, Sewering, Wastewater | 3 Comments »
