Happy Summer!We’ve been away for a while and thought it was time for an update on the appalling condition of Shoestring Bay, any progress the towns of Barnstable and Mashpee may have made in addressing the decline, and the status of Mass. Department of Environmental Protection's [MA-DEP] game-changing 2023 mandate for siting, upgrading, and maintaining …
Continue reading Shoestring Bay Degradation: The Good, The Bad, and the Really Ugly
On June 21 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection released new regulations for siting, upgrading and maintaining septic systems on Cape Cod. In short, the new regulations "require residents and towns on the Cape to reduce the nitrogen in their wastewater. Towns may apply for watershed permits, which will allow each community to tailor its …
Here's Andrew Gottlieb's smart riposte to the MASS DEP reg naysayers in town government. Italics for emphasis are mine. What Does that Mean?by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director, APCC The recent comments from some local officials taking positions against DEP’s proposed strengthening of septic systems standards might have left you saying “huh?”. That’s because a whole …
Continue reading What Town Officials Really Mean When They Say No!
A History of Inaction Massachusetts leaders have long been considered in the vanguard of environmental stewardship and coastal resource preservation. But for 20+ years, State, County, and Town leaders have known about the link between excess nitrogen loading in a watershed and deteriorating water quality on Cape Cod. They’ve known that Shoestring Bay and the broader …
Our friends at Barnstable Clean Water Coalition alerted us to an opportunity for Cape Cod residents to have a say in how Barnstable County spends $41M in American Rescue Plan (ARPA)funding. Now's the time to use infrastructure dollars to reduce nitrogen pollution in our waterways. Please read below and take the following action: Complete the …
A shout out to the Buzzards Bay Coalition for this concise but powerful overview of the damage nitrogen pollution is causing to Cape waterways. Substitute Buzzards Bay with Shoestring Bay and and you'll understand the looming disaster for our home. West Falmouth homeowner Bob Kretschmar first noticed it about 10 years ago: slimy green algae …
Continue reading Great Primer on Nitrogen Pollution on Cape Cod
Well folks, Barnstable is about to take the first step in its 30-year plan to reduce nitrogen emissions from septic systems in our waterways. Following is the town's press release announcing the Strawberry Hill Road Sewer Expansion Project. Town of Barnstable Announces Groundbreaking on First Major Sewer Expansion ProjectThe Town of Barnstable Department of Public …
Continue reading Barnstable to Break Ground on 1st Sewer Expansion Project
As we reported on July 28, 2021, Prof. Brian Howes opened his annual report presentation to the town of Mashpee on the state of our waterways with these ominous words: "For the first time in 20 years I have nothing good to say." Well, I'm pleased to report that, after hearing Town Manager Mark Ells' …
Continue reading Some Hopeful News from Town Council Workshop on Shoestring Bay’s Future
In recent posts we’ve documented the decades-long decline of Shoestring Bay and other Cape estuaries due primarily to the effluent coming from our Title 5-approved septic systems. The stuff that comes out of our home water waste lines winds up in our waterways, creating nutrient (nitrogen/phosphates) overload and habitat degradation. If the thought of year-round …
In March 2021, the Town of Barnstable unveiled its preliminary cost model for paying for the $1.4 billion multi-decade project of sewering of the town. Half of the cost would be come from existing funds. The rest would fall on property owners, to the tune of a $17,000/property assessment, paid out over 30 years. An …
Save Our Shoestring 