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 …
We’re Done Waiting
The common refrain we hear from state and local government officials every time we plead for a moratorium on Title 5 septic installations and the immediate approval of High Performance Innovative Alternative (HPIA) septic systems is, “It’s too soon. The data is inconclusive. And IA systems aren’t good enough.” Well, the State of Washington would …
Mass. DEP Takes a Baby Step
On June 1, 2022 the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the much-awaited draft of its "let's fix Title 5" Fact Sheet [download] entitled "MassDEP Regulatory Strategy for Estuaries Impaired by Nitrogen." The proposed rules could "require upgrades of all existing systems to add nitrogen removal technology within five years of the regulation’s approval …
Part 2: Are Barnstable + Mashpee Breaking the Law?
Part 2 of a 2-Part Series on the Validity of the CLF Lawsuit In Part 1 [read], we considered the basis for the Conservation Law Foundation's lawsuit against Barnstable, Mashpee, and the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] -- whether these entities have been violating Title 5 law by sanctioning septic systems that far exceed …
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Are Barnstable + Mashpee Breaking the Law?
Part 1 of a 2-Part Series on the Validity of the CLF Lawsuit In June 2021, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) filed suit against the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Towns of Barnstable and Mashpee, charging them with violating the state’s Title 5 regulations, specifically targeting the passages on limiting nutrient discharge …
Mashpee Proposes What Barnstable Won’t Even Consider
For the last few years, we have been politely asking everyone in charge at the Town of Barnstable to allow homeowners in areas the sewer won't reach for a decade or more to install, at our own cost, an I/A septic system to speed up the attack on nutrient pollution. And with each phone call, …
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Make Your Voice Count!
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 Call to Action for State Leaders in 2022
Happy new year everyone! Here's hoping 2022 is a milestone year for improving the quality of Shoestring Bay and all nitrogen-polluted waterways on the Cape. We've been pretty tough on the Town of Barnstable as we work to raise awareness of the dangers facing Shoestring Bay and other affected bodies of water. But we've come …
Inching Closer to a Better I/A Measurement Tool
Amid the drumbeat of bad news about the declining water quality within Shoestring Bay and other Cape Cod waterways, we’ve got some good news to report. The Cape’s Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) announced that we’ve moved one step closer to having a superior nitrogen sensor to measure the compliance of I/A septic …
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Great Primer on Nitrogen Pollution on Cape Cod
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 …
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Save Our Shoestring 