HYANNIS – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is awarding $300,000 in grants to five Cape Cod towns to address nitrogen pollution.
It’s part of an ongoing effort by the state under Governor Maura Healey’s administration to get Cape Cod to reverse decades of pollution to its bodies of water.
The towns getting the grants are Mashpee, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster and Chatham.
Mashpee will use the funding for work related to the town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan.
Yarmouth will use the funding to conduct hydrogeologic evaluations in support of a groundwater discharge permit for the recharge of effluent. The project will identify additional effluent recharge sites and assess planning level recharge capacity and potential impact for those sites.
Dennis will use the funding to conduct a hydrogeologic evaluation in support of a groundwater discharge permit for its Phase 1 wastewater program.
Brewster will use the funding to complete De Minimis Load applications for the Bass River Watershed and the Swan Pond River Watershed, and upcoming work to support the future watershed permit application for the Herring River Watershed.
Chatham will use the funding to support the Pleasant Bay Alliance on the existing Pleasant Bay Watershed Permit and to file a Notice of Intent to file a watershed permit for the Stage Harbor, Taylor’s Pond, and Sulfur Springs Watersheds.
“These monies will help our towns develop comprehensive plans that allow communities to comply with new regulations, move away from a reliance on septic systems, and stem nutrient pollution in our fragile environment,” said State Senator Julian Cyr.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is proud to partner with towns on the Cape to support their efforts to clean up and protect their treasured waterways,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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