Approved
Comprehensive Wastewater Management PlanningCommittee
Meeting Minutes
May 18 2010
7:00 pm
Wellfleet Senior Center
Attendees: Chair Alex Hay, Ned Hitchcock, Bob Larson, Curtis Felix
Regrets: John O’Hara, Kenneth Granlund, Lezli Rowell, Sam Bradford
Chair Alex Hay opened the meeting at 7:00 pm.
There was discussion regarding studies, brochures, and materials to bring to the next meeting. The Committee is strategizing and regrouping at this point.
Here is a summary:
o Committee’s first order of business will likely be to work on sources by issuing a “Best Practices for taking Care of Your Septic System” and tips on how homeowners can help improve or negatively impact water quality
o Committees second order of business will likely be to go after low hanging fruit for improving water quality by organizing voluntary culching, or recycling of oyster and clam shells which are widely acknowledged as a “no brainer” for water quality and oyster population improvement (filter feeders and marshes are the best natural systems for purifying water and may by themselves ensure we do not trip state or federal limits
o Committee’s charter provides broad mandate to insure harbor, estuaries and waterways maintain and improve environmental health
o State and Federal mandates could force a townwide sewer system due to Nitrogen Loading Limits in estuaries
o Committee wants to insure that wastewater plan is based on actual science and on-going monitoring of actual impacts or lack thereof on our waterways:
o Nitrogen
o Personal care products, pharmaceuticals etc.
o Residential and commercial run-off of pesticides, herbicides and any other chemicals
o Pathogens and bacteria (distinguish between manmade and natural with proper testing, so we focus on the right solutions)
o Wastewater committee plans to maintaining a proactive understanding of the broad impact of wastewater on Harbor health
o Are shellfish diseases related to wastewater impacts?
o How can we maximize the use of oyster, clam and shellfish and other natural filtration which is known to improve water quality and health?
o How can we integrate the many town groups already working on aspects of this effort?
o Early target areas that may be of concern, from a thoughtful perspective, but that need ongoing scientific research and monitoring:
o Duck Creeke
o Mayo Creek
o Drummer Cove
o Herring PlaceTypeRiver
o Blackfish Creek
o Committee will focus on “Do no harm” for example nitrogen feeds algae, algae feed oysters, clams, mussels, herring, menhaden and scallops. ~Since we do not know the food balance in the harbor, we will be extremely careful and only take any actions that are well supported by data, not someone’s outside theory.
o Committee would like to consider assembling a team that would include scientists from:
o Marine Biological Laboratory (they did a biodiversity map of harbor in 2003ish)
o Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (worlds leading marine scientists and have a scientist who may be able to help with water quality impacts on shellfish diseases)
o UMASS Amherst (personal care products and breakdown products specialist)
o Others in the areas of data management and real time instrumentation to make the monitoring data available on the web (if sensible)
o And or others that may be suggested to the committee
o Committee would like to leverage funds appropriated by Town Meeting for these purposes and in particular draw other agencies together to undertake a nationally groundbreaking effort due to the unique characteristics of Wellfleet Harbor (closed harbor and of one of the largest estuary recovery projects in the country)
o Potential Partners:
o USEPA
o USDA
o National Marine Fisheries
o DEP
o Conservation Law Foundation
o Cape Cod Commission
o Friends of the Herring River
o Herring Warden
o Audubon
o Shellfish Advisory Committee
o Shellfish Warden
o Conservation Committee
o Planning Board
o Harbormaster
o SPAT
o NOAA
o NMF
Alex Hay moved to adjourn at 8:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Christine Bates, Committee Secretary
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