Cape Cod owners are being warned to wash up their act.
It’s the most recent try to repair widespread wastewater contamination. Proposed rules could quickly give Cape cities an ultimatum: implement a wastewater administration plan over the following 20 years or all of the cities’ owners should do pricey upgrades to their septic methods within the subsequent 5 years.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection held the final two public hearings for the proposal Tuesday and Wednesday evening — bringing on a refrain of accusations of “holding homeowners hostage,” a “lack of transparency” and an “unfunded mandate.”
But, officers say, the residents’ panic has been stirred by confusion and the second possibility — owners throughout the Cape rushed into paying tens of hundreds on septic upgrades — just isn’t a probable final result.
“It’s important to note this is not a new problem,” stated Julian Cyr, state senator for Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. “It’s been over a decade of really trying to come up with a plan and a way to solve the wastewater crisis we’ve had.”
The drawn-up or authorized “Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plans” in cities like Barnstable, Sandwich, Mashpee and Chatham signifies that owners are unlikely to be caught footing particular person payments.
“Most communities already meet the regulations,” Cyr stated. “And for the communities that currently don’t, then we’ve got to work with them to make sure that they get there.”
The estimated $4 billion drawback stems from the outdated septic methods and cesspools at present used on the Cape. These methods have lengthy allowed nitrogen from wastewater to seep into the area’s watersheds.
“The nitrogen pollution is causing the estuaries and bays to become eutrophic, which simply means they’re dying,” stated Barnstable Clean Water Coalition Executive Director Zenas Crocker.
Eutrophic, or over-nourished, waters trigger poisonous algae blooms — mucking up the water, choking off different marine life and killing the ecosystem.
In the most recent report from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod discovered 90% of the Cape’s embayments are ranked “unacceptable” stage of nitrogen air pollution, up from 68% in 2019.
The state has taken motion on the difficulty, together with the 208 Plan Update — a broad framework to sort out the air pollution signed off on by Cape cities, the state and federal regulators in 2015 — and the Cape Cod and Islands Protection Fund — funding from an excise tax on conventional lodging and short-term leases that’s distributed $31 million to septic system tasks within the area since 2018.
In current years, cities have had “hodgepodge” of various approaches to the difficulty, Crocker stated. Several current lawsuits from the Conservation Law Foundation prompted a extra unified effort.
“The key element here is to start to tackle that issue on a Cape and Islands-wide basis — that’s what these regulations could mean,” stated Crocker. “These watersheds cross town lines. We need comprehensive regulations and a holistic approach to tackle the problem.”
In the way in which the 208 Plan is laid out, Cyr stated, the cities are answerable for 50% of the septic upgrades’ value, the feds 25% and the state 25%.
The costly upgrades will proceed to be a “heavy lift but necessary,” stated Cyr.
The value of the rules, Cape Cod realtor Livia Monteforte stated, could have a “sticker shock” on the native housing market.
But over the long-term, Monteforte stated, “contaminated waterways decrease property values; beautified waterways increase property values.”
The value of changing a septic system has been estimated within the tens of hundreds, Monteforte stated, however could be variable relying on the area and residential and estimated individually by means of native Board of Health places of work.
“If we don’t clean up our waters, we are seriously putting at risk the economic engine of Cape Cod,” stated Cyr. “People from around the world come here for our water — for our pristine beaches, marine environment and freshwater ponds.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”