New technologies may reduce water treatment costs on Cape

At a stakeholder summit on Feb. 6, the Cape Cod Commission presented some good news about the projected cost of stemming the flow of pollutants into the region’s bays and ponds.

Thanks to the use of alternative strategies and a shift toward a regional solution, the cost could be less than half the original estimate of $8 billion, according to Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Paul Niedzwiecki.

The Cape’s water pollution problem is largely caused by nitrogen that quickly and easily flows from septic systems through sandy Cape soil into estuaries. Nitrogen causes excessive growth of seaweed and algae as the waters warm in the summer months, depleting oxygen needed by fish, decimating shellfish beds, and making swimming and boating uninviting.

For the first time since 1978, the Cape is working to update its Water Quality Management Plan, as required by the federal Clean Water Act. Last year, the Cape Cod Commission received $3.35 million from the state’s Water Pollution Abatement Trust to assist with the process.

Since receiving the funding, the commission has held more than 50 meetings and has produced a draft plan. The draft outlines technologies now available to reduce nitrogen, specifying how much nitrogen each can remove and the removal cost per unit of nitrogen.

The goal is to lower the cost of treatment by using innovative and alternative technologies, natural resources, and targeted regional solutions rather than just building expensive conventional wastewater treatment plants.

The potential solutions include pond recharging, growth management, fertilizer management, stormwater mitigation, constructed wetlands, aquaculture, permeable barriers, eco-toilets, targeting collection areas, and supplemental sewering.

The plan is expected to be complete by the summer.