Mashpee sewer construction project to go before town meeting – Cape Cod Times

MASHPEE Three articles set to go before voters at town meeting next month will help bring the towns long-time-coming comprehensive watershed nitrogen management plan to fruition if passed.

The Board of Selectmen voted last week to approve and recommend articles for the upcoming spring session on May 3.

If you want clean water, and you care about the future of both the environment of the community and the economic fundamentals of the community, we need to start to address the water quality problems that are relevant in our waterways, said Andrew Gottlieb, a member of the Mashpee Board of Selectmen and liaison on the Mashpee Sewer Commission.

The main article, Article 6, seeks to appropriate $54 million to fund the implementation and construction of the first phase of the towns plan to mitigate nitrogen pollution. It includes the construction of a wastewater treatment plant to be located adjacent to the towns transfer station off Ashers Path. A sewer main system that would stretch from Butler Lane and Drew Lane south to Yardarm Drive and along Route 28 and Quinaquisset Avenue is also part of the proposal.

The project represents the first phase of the towns five-phase Comprehensive Watershed Nitrogen Management Plan. In 1999, town meeting voters authorized spending $405,000 to develop the plan in order to reduce nitrogen and treat wastewater.

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Were ready to move forward, John Cotton, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said during the board's March 22 meeting.

The article must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote at town meeting, and is also contingent on the passage of a Proposition 2 debt exclusion override on the ballot for the May 8 town election, which is necessary in order to protect the towns bond rating, Gottlieb said.

If all goes to plan, the project could potentially go out to bid by mid-November, Anastasia Rudenko of project engineers GHD said during a Sewer Commission meeting March 16.

Another article on the town meeting warrant related to the wastewater project would allow the town to use 2.7 acres of land on Mashpee Neck Road for the construction of a sewer substation as part of the wastewater treatment plant's infrastructure.

A third article asks if the town will vote to adopt a general bylaw to establish flow neutral regulations. It wouldmandate that parcels of property be connected to the public sewer system and eliminate any septic systems in the sewer service areas in order to reduce nitrogen pollution.

If that article is passed, it enables the town to qualify for 0% financing from the states Clean Water Trust.

The latter two articles are relevant only if the wastewater treatment plant article passes, Gottlieb said.

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Town officials do not anticipate net taxes to increase for Mashpee residents if the articles pass.

The annual debt service would be $156 for a property with the town average value of $498,000. But with anticipated cash flows, residents would not see any additional increase to their tax bills as a result of the project..

Funds from the Water Infrastructure Fund, local room tax, state loan principal forgiveness as well as Cape and Islands Trust loan principal forgiveness will provide enough cash flow so tax increases will not be necessary, Gottlieb said during the March 16 meeting.

Mashpees estuaries and waterways have shown significant signs of degradation over the years due to excessive inputof nitrogen from septic and wastewater treatment systems, as well as other sources such as lawn fertilizer and surface runoff.

The pollution fuels toxic algae outbreaks in bays and ponds that can make people sick and kill wildlife and pets. The outbreaks also force beaches and ponds to close, which leads to an adverse effect on tourism and the regions economy.

Santuit Pond, for example, frequently experiences cyanobacteria blooms that forceit to close during the summer.

The town, along with Barnstable, has also been threatened with a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation to stop septic systems from pumping nitrogen and phosphorus pollution into local waterways. The suit calls for a temporary suspension of any new septic systems and a pause on passing inspections associated with the sale of properties in Mashpee.

We have legal obligations under state and federal law to take action to restore water quality, Gottlieb said Wednesday. The law is what the law is, and it calls for clean water.

Right now the town does not meet that standard, Gottlieb said.

If a judge finds that the town is breaking the law, and the court orders Mashpee to fix its system, the town will not be eligible for the current sources of low-interest money that it is currently eligible for, Gottlieb said.

Its not in our interest to delay this even more, Gottlieb said. If we end up in court and we lose, were going to have to fix it using our own resources.

I hate that we have to spend this kind of money, but I also hate that our rivers and estuaries continue to get polluted, A. Gregory McKelvey, a member of the Mashpee Finance Committee, said during a March 25 meeting. So we have to do something. If we dont do something, theres going to be other consequences out there.

Contact Jessica Hill at jhill@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @jess_hillyeah.

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Mashpee sewer construction project to go before town meeting - Cape Cod Times