EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Without Figures) rev - Town of Falmouth

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technologies prove their feasibility, performance testing demonstrates the true performance of the installed facilities, environmental monitoring indicates improvement in the marine water quality, and as new regulations/laws/building codes are passed to allow new approaches. There are components of this plan which need further coordination and agreement. The most significant needed component is an agreement with the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) to allow Falmouth to construct a new Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) on their property near the existing Otis Air Force Base (AFB) WWTF and the Regional Solid Waste Management Facility. An agreement to site a new WWTF to serve the Planning Area, and possibly the neighboring Towns of Mashpee, Sandwich, and Bourne, as well as the MMR itself, is not yet complete. Significant progress has been made toward an agreement over the past year, but additional discussions, negotiations, and agreement are needed. Discussions are also needed with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) on the proposed treatment, recharge and water-reuse system, and the adaptive management approach proposed as part of the plan. This document is prepared for review by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and as part of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and Cape Cod Commission (CCC) Development of Regional Impact (DRI) joint review process. A Notice of Project Change (NPC) is also included in this document because detailed evaluations have been completed (and reported in this document) that were not originally scoped in the CWMP Environmental Notification Form (ENF) and ENF approval certificate. ES.2 SUMMARY OF WASTEWATER PROBLEMS AND NEEDS IN THE PLANNING AREA The identification and understanding of the wastewater related problems in the Planning Area has been a long process. The first recommendation of sewer extensions to portions of the Planning Area date back to May 1981 in the Wastewater Facilities Plan by CDM and the Environmental Impact Report by USEPA. That plan recommended sewering the densely developed Maravista Peninsula located between Little and Great Ponds, as well as the Falmouth Heights area located west of Little Pond. That sewer extension was planned to be the second phase of the larger wastewater project Town of Falmouth, MA ES-2 Draft Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report 7104510.6
that constructed the original Blacksmith Shop Road WWTF, connected the Woods Hole sewer system to the Blacksmith Shop Road facility, eliminated the Woods Hole ocean outfall, and provided sewer extension to Main Street, Inner Harbor, and Falmouth Beach areas of Falmouth Center. The second phase of that project was never completed due to problems with the original Blacksmith Shop Road WWTF. The second recommendation of sewer extensions to portions of the Planning Area dates to January 2001 in the Wastewater Facilities Plan and Environmental Impact Report by Stearns & Wheler. That plan identified that excessive nitrogen loadings to the watersheds of Little Pond and Great Pond were impacting water quality to the two salt ponds and that sewer extension was the best solution. That plan indicated that the nitrogen limits for the two ponds were needed before sewer extension planning could proceed further. That plan also recommended an upgrade and expansion of the Blacksmith Shop Road WWTF (completed in 2005), sewer connection to the Falmouth High School (completed in 2007 - 2008), sewer extension to the North Davis Straits Planning Area (Falmouth Mall and surrounding area), sewer extension to the Scranton Avenue Area, and sewer extension to the West Falmouth Harbor area. These last three sewer extensions have not yet been completed and it is noted that the North Davis Straits area is within the Planning Area for the current project. This DCWMP/DEIR includes the implementation timeline of these three previously approved sewer extensions coordinated with the implementation timeline of the wastewater facilities for the Planning Area. The third recommendation of sewer extensions for portions of the Planning Area dates to March 2001 with the completion of the Ashumet Plume Nitrogen Offset Program Detailed Analysis of Feasible Corrective Actions by the team of Horsley & Witten, Inc.; UMass School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST); and Applied Coastal Research and Engineering, Inc. This recommendation did not proceed (in part) due to the need for Nitrogen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limits for the salt ponds. The nitrogen TMDLs developed by the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) and promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency since 2001 documented the following problems in the salt ponds of the Planning Area: High concentration of nitrogen in the marine water that has led to excessive algae production and eutrophic conditions. Town of Falmouth, MA ES-3 Draft Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report 7104510.6
Page 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DRAFT COMPREHENSI
Page 5 and 6: the Wastewater and Nutrient Managem
Page 7 and 8: 1) Systems with MassDEP approval fo
Page 9 and 10: These alternatives were evaluated f
Page 11 and 12: TMDLs for Little, Great, and Green
Page 13 and 14: Additional performance testing of t
Page 15 and 16: An outfall at this location with wa
Page 17 and 18: The next table (Table ES-2) summari
Page 19 and 20: for the coastal ponds are so low th
Page 21 and 22: 80 percent of the septic tank nitro
Page 23 and 24: this 20-year period with the goal o
Page 25 and 26: a. Pump station at the MMR WWTF sit
Page 27 and 28: improve tidal flushing or improve w
Page 29 and 30: If the Town decides to assess bette
Page 31: 1. Phase 1 Implementation. 2011 to

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Without Figures) rev - Town of Falmouth

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