Q&A with … Andrew Gottlieb
What is the most important wastewater issue facing Massachusetts?
Nutrients are, without question, the single biggest remaining threat to water quality in Massachusetts. Freshwater rivers, not to mention countless lakes, are severely impacted by excess phosphorus. Almost all the bays of southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape and the Islands are being degraded by excess nitrogen, mostly from inadequately treated wastewater.
Regardless of whether you are talking about freshwater or saltwater systems, the effects of excess nutrients are much the same. Algae thrive on nutrients. Too many nutrients results in excessive plant growth that choke waterways, force out native species, reduce aesthetics and limit recreational use of the water.
Where do these excess nutrients come from?
Mostly from wastewater. There are other sources of nutrients in localized instances that create problems, but for the most part we need to do a better job removing nutrients from wastewater. In the coastal region, and especially the Cape, communities are going to have to make a major investment in new wastewater infrastructure.
Will there be a need for new sewer construction?
Sewer construction is going to be necessary for sure, but the Cape needs to look differently at how it approaches sewers and do a better job of managing the growth impacts of sewering. The solutions of the past may not serve us as well into the future. While the Cape needs to collect and treat wastewater, it does not necessarily need large treatment plants serving entire communities to achieve the goal of improved water quality. Many see the 21st-century solution being a combination of strategies using natural freshwater systems such as bogs to naturally attenuate nitrogen with a combination of traditional central treatment and disposal facilities and smaller facilities serving smaller portions of a community or communities working together. Smaller facilities allow communities to better target those areas that need sewering without piping large land areas not requiring collection and treatment. Smaller facilities will also be easier to site in densely developed areas.
Why aren’t septic systems the answer to this problem?
Septic systems do a reasonable job treating wastewater; they are just not very good at removing nitrogen. A typical Title V septic system may discharge 35 to 50 milligrams of nitrogen per liter (mg/l) of wastewater. In order to restore the Cape’s bays, treatment to 3 mg/l will be required. Even the most advanced systems can’t get lower than the mid-teens, so more advanced treatment than that provided by septic systems will be necessary in parts of the Cape to restore water quality.
Can towns effectively manage this problem on their own?
Towns are crucial to the effort to reduce nitrogen. Towns will have to think through their zoning and development plans and make sure that their wastewater treatment goals take into account future growth. Towns will make crucial decisions on what areas require additional treatment and how to distribute costs fairly.
Individual towns will not be able to solve all the water quality problems on their own. Multiple towns often contribute nitrogen to a particular bay because groundwater travels great distances and crosses town boundaries. It is essential that towns work together to solve common wastewater problems and do so in the most cost effective way possible.
Is there any help out there for the towns?
The Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative was created by the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates and approved the County Commissioners to help towns work together to improve water quality throughout the Cape. The collaborative serves as a clearinghouse for information and technical support to all 15 towns on the Cape and provides financial assistance to towns working on inter-municipal solutions to water quality challenges. The collaborative is also a focal point for the towns in their efforts to seek financial assistance from the state and federal governments.
Can this problem be solved?
The Cape can restore its waterways but it will take time, money and commitment. The technology exists to reduce nitrogen, but it costs money and will take time to install. The public needs to recognize the urgency to start now with developing solutions and then must have the patience to wait for improvements to become noticeable. Experience has shown that Cape waters do respond to reduced nitrogen loading and that current damage can be reversed.
Andrew Gottlieb is interim executive director of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative.
Published in Cape Business Sept/Oct 2007
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