USGS Groundwater Modeling Project

HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS OF WASTEWATER AND PUBLIC SUPPLY ALTERNATIVES, CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS

COST:            $ 295,000                      

Communities on Cape Cod will be making a number of decisions in the near future regarding future water supplies and wastewater management. These decisions will include identification, selection, purchase and construction of wastewater facilities including effluent disposal sites. This regional project makes available the groundwater modeling  services of the USGS to assist the towns in providing preliminary and detailed hydrological impact analysis.  This project is funded by Barnstable County using County supplemental funds that were set aside as the Wastewater Management Reserve, specific Growth Management Initiative funds and 1/3 federal match from the USGS.  The services of this project are available to the towns without cost.

The primary objective of the investigation is to provide a series of groundwater modeling scenarios for the hydrologic analyses of town-specific wastewater discharge alternatives. Examples of particular interest for these scenarios include: 1) the hydrologic effect of waste-water disposal on local surface-water resources (including both the effect of centralized disposal and the effect of sewering), 2) the potential for adverse effects on existing and future water supplies, and 3) the effect of changing heads and gradients on contributing areas to streams, ponds, and estuaries. These scenarios will be developed with the participation of the towns and coordinated by Cape Cod Commission staff . Because each town is at a different stage of wastewater planning, these scenarios can range from a preliminary or conceptual level to site specific for inclusion into Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plans.  The key point for communities is to reserve your allocation of resources of this regional project by participating.

The secondary objective is to address several common regional issues using a smaller focused model. These issues include the effect on water quality of centralized waste-water disposal (and changes in land use) within the contributing area to a well, the effect of sewering (or lack of sewering) on ecological receptors, such as streams, ponds, and estuaries, and differences in hydrologic and water-quality effects for large, centralized sewage disposal, as opposed to smaller neighborhood-scale facilities.  The regional case studies will be selected by the USGS in cooperation with the CCC.

Protocol

This study will be managed by the USGS through the Project Chief, Don Walter.  Don will work with the Cape Cod Commission staff to coordinate local participation.  The first contact should be the CCC.  Subsequent to this preliminary contact, an initial meeting will be arranged to discuss the scope of the local scale modeling issues.  Once the area and scenarios are agreed upon, the USGS will work with the local town contact through the CCC.  CCC will coordinate progress reports to the WIC.  The regional case study areas will be selected by the USGS in consultation with the CCC.

Massachusetts Estuaries Project

This project focuses on documenting how much nitrogen is getting into Cape Cod Embayments, the existing water quality, what is the "right" amount of nitrogen that can be accommodated by each embayment, and how much nitrogen needs to be removed from the watershed to improve water quality. The project includes water quality testing of local embayments, performing a landuse analysis to determine current and future nitrogen amounts, and hydrodynamic modeling. The Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) is a 6 year, 12 million dollar project (with state and federal funds) . Barnstable County contributes $100,000 per year to this study. For more information you can view the MEP web site.

The Cape Cod Commission identified 33 embayments that are impaired due to nitrogen loading in its June 2003 report, "Cape Cod Comprehensive Regional Wastewater Management Strategy Development Project.”  The identification of these embayments was based on water quality and nitrogen loading information developed over the years to support the planning and regulatory provisions of the Regional Policy Plan.  Under the regulatory standards of the Regional Policy Plan, Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) within watersheds to these embayments are required to meet the so-called “No-Net” requirement.  This standard requires the DRI applicants to completely offset any new nitrogen loading by providing equivalent reductions for existing sources within the same watershed.  This requirement has been included in the Regional Policy Plan since 1996. 

It is important to note that nearly every Cape Cod embayment will be subject to refined analysis via the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) and these analyses will have an impact on the future regulatory classification of these embayments.  The MEP will establish nitrogen limits for these embayments and the ability to meet these limits will be part of comprehensive wastewater management planning within each watershed community.  This information may be helpful to local boards of health and others who wish to consider interim actions. 

Wastewater Management Tools

Barnstable County, though the WIC, has funded an analysis of planning, administrative and legal tools to improve wastewater management on Cape Cod. This study has been conducted by a Working Group, led by Wright-Pierce and subconsultants, Teal Ltd. and CLF Ventures, and comprising town, Banstable County and Cape Cod Commission staff that have advanced the project through several phases. First, an inventory was developed of existing wastewater infrastructure, and current regulatory programs were evaluated. In the second phase, the working group identified those aspects of current programs and policies that are hurdles to more effective management. Next, specific enhancements to existing programs were identified and new supplemental programs proposed. In the fourth phase, those existing and potential tool were applied to four towns as case studies. Through the case studies, several important tools were fine-tuned and further developed to be available to other towns.

The report is available in its entirety to download as a pdf file, or may be ordered from the Cape Cod Commission.

TOWN WASTEWATER GRANTS

Barnstable: Effluent Disposal and Reuse Planning                                     $40,000

 The project calls for documenting a model approach for site evaluation so that towns and regulatory agencies can expect a fair and objective analysis. The issue of effluent disposal and facility siting was discussed at several WIC meetings in conjunction with the Wastewater Strategy Report and it dovetails nicely into continuing work by staff on this subject as well as the County-wide USGS project.  Of particular interest is the work to evaluate the technologies and reuse strategies.  Staff will ask the town to include a section on landuse implications and regulatory review and policy issues, which could be worked into the task on siting.

Bourne: Wastewater Management Mapping                                               $13,500         

  This is a concise proposal that supplements efforts by the town to catalog and keep digital records of their septic system upgrades, variances, etc using the Septrak Database by linking the database to a GIS system to provide parcel level based maps.  The proposal includes hiring a computer analyst for 3.5 weeks, purchase of ArcView3.2 and a computer.  This proposal assists a town that has been proactive in mapping and keeping records of it on-site wastewater systems and is a good example of how the data can be used for better and cost effective management by all town agencies.

Mashpee: Sewer System Evaluation for Popponessett Bay Watershed
$33,000    

This project will evaluate the use of various sewer collection systems and model their application to the Popponessett Watershed to arrive at cost-effective alternatives for areas of flat topography and shallow depths to groundwater and seasonal flows.  The project has regional applicability as well as the study area being shared by three towns.  The project leverages wastewater facility planning efforts being conducted by the town.  Staff will ask the town to include a provision to incorporate findings from the MEP and integrate potential modeling of effluent discharges by the USGS.

Orleans:  Tri-Town Septage Treatment Plant Study                                           $50,000

This project consists of an engineering evaluation of the capacity of the Orleans Tri-Town septage Treatment Plant.   The facility serves a regional area including most of the Lower Cape Towns.  Staff will ask the town to incorporate the following into the scope: the findings and on-going work by the USGS; an evaluation of septage treatment capacity for Barnstable County; a review of the regulatory and permitting issues; whether the site could accommodate a sewage treatment plant and provide a better indication of how this project would be integrated with the Town’s facility plan and small flows grant.

Yarmouth:   Small Community Size Wastewater Treatment Technologies:  Evaluation and Database 
     $50,000 

This is a regional proposal  to evaluate wastewater treatment technologies for mid-scale facilities that are associated with decentralized solutions.  This would be of benefit to any town undertaking or contemplating a facility plan and for use by parties seeking potential private-public partnerships.  Staff will ask the town to include treatment plants from 10,000 to 100,000 gpd, a digital record of the study for transferability and clarification how the GIS component would further the study. 

Eastham and Wellfleet: Septic System Management
$30,000

This project will project the long term result of requiring enhanced on-site septic systems for board of health variances. The projection will enable the towns to determine future infrastructure needs, and evaluate the benefits of treatment and overall cost to the community and the homeowners. The project includes review of town records, and GIS mapping for over 2200 lots.