WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT WEBSITE


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. TOWN OF FALMOUTH WASTEWATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT VISION AND STRATEGIES

2. CURRENT WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN FALMOUTH

3. COMPREHENSIVE WASTEWATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROJECT

4. NEW SILVER BEACH WASTEWATER PROJECT

1. TOWN OF FALMOUTH WASTEWATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT VISION AND STRATEGIES

The following vision and strategies for wastewater and nutrient management were adopted by Falmouth's Board of Selectmen on November 6, 2006.

Vision
By comprehensively and effectively managing its wastewater and other nutrient sources, Falmouth will improve water quality, protect public health and enhance the town’s economic vitality. Falmouth will offer its residents, visitors and future generations healthy waters in order to sustain the town’s property values and vibrant economy.

Overview
The Town of Falmouth treasures its water resources including its coastal ponds for their ecological, aesthetic, recreational and economic value. As the town’s population has grown over time, the health of our coastal ponds has deteriorated due to excessive nutrient loading, primarily from septic systems. The leaders of our community recognize that reversing this trend and improving the health of our ponds will benefit every citizen of and visitor to our community, as these water bodies are the cornerstone of our service-based, tourism, marine science and maritime economy and an important part of our cultural identity.

It is clear from the assessments conducted to-date, including the year 2000 Ashumet Plume Nitrogen Offset Program reports, the 2001 Wastewater Facilities Plan, and most recently, the Massachusetts Estuaries Project reports and the Total Maximum Daily Load reports issued for a number of Falmouth’s ponds that the town needs to dramatically reduce the nutrient load to its ponds in order to improve pond water quality. Achieving the required level of reduction will involve large-scale municipal sewering as well as other nutrient reduction measures.

It is also apparent that though every developed property in town contributes to the nutrient loading problem, nutrient reduction actions will be more efficient and productive in some areas than in others. In addition, though every pond is impacted to some degree, some ponds are currently more critically impaired than others. For these reasons, the town will prioritize and phase its actions in order to maximize efficiency and address the most critical areas first. Strategic sewering of densely developed areas in the lower watersheds to our most impacted coastal embayments will be the initial focus, supplemented with additional nutrient reduction actions throughout the watersheds to each pond.

The tremendous financial and policy commitment needed to make real progress in improving the water quality in our coastal embayments will require the active support of our entire community. To meaningfully engage the entire town in developing solutions we must be committed to an overall strategy to address the needs and priorities of every watershed while we make quantifiable progress in our most impaired embayments.

Strategies
It is critical that we start making real progress in specific watersheds where our progress can be measured and evaluated to strengthen our efforts throughout the town. Infrastructure design for specific embayments will work hand in hand with our efforts to better highlight water quality issues in all embayments. In this sense, the study, design and implementation phases will overlap as we carry out our town-wide vision, with specific actions to be taken in each watershed reflecting the unique land uses and needs of that watershed.

The town’s immediate next steps represent this planning methodology. Water quality testing done to-date throughout the Town of Falmouth found water quality in the south facing coastal ponds to be the most impaired. Water quality thresholds have been established by the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) for Great, Green and Bournes Ponds. Water quality thresholds are currently being developed for Oyster Pond, West Falmouth Harbor and Little Pond, and will be developed next for Waquoit Bay and adjacent Eel Pond. The MEP methodology will ultimately develop standards for every embayment in Falmouth. As the town implements infrastructure and nutrient reduction plans in each watershed, we will have a measurable basis for making improvements in each following watershed.

The town is now pursuing a Comprehensive Wastewater and Nutrient Management Planning Study for the watersheds to Little Pond, Great Pond, Green Pond, Bournes Pond, Eel Pond and Waquoit Bay and a hydrogeologic evaluation of potential sites town-wide for discharge of treated wastewater. As additional data is available for all of the town’s embayments a more detailed nutrient removal plan will emerge for every watershed town-wide. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Massachusetts Estuaries Project is working throughout the town to develop data and methodology that will continue to contribute to the town’s plan.

To guide this critical town-wide initiative, the Board of Selectmen has endorsed the following strategies:

Financing

• The town will prepare an equitable town-wide funding plan for the required wastewater and nutrient management efforts.
• The Town Administrator has created a Financial Task Force comprised of financial staff and representatives of the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen to develop financial strategies.

Planning Policy

• Wastewater and nutrient management issues in all areas in town will require multiple and overlapping phases of planning, design and construction.
• The town will prioritize its efforts by focusing detailed studies first on the most impacted ponds, and on the areas in which mitigation actions will be most efficient.
• In the densely developed lower portions of the watersheds to impacted ponds, large-scale municipal sewering will be required to improve pond water quality. In less densely developed areas and/or in the upper portions of the watersheds, improved individual onsite wastewater treatment systems may be more appropriate.
• Other actions will also be required to address water quality problems. These actions include fertilizer reduction and stormwater management, and could also include pond flushing improvements and other alternative strategies.
• The town will actively participate in the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and will collaborate with adjacent towns regarding nutrient management for shared watersheds.

Land Use and Regulatory Measures

• The town will continue to develop and implement land use, zoning and regulatory tools to reduce the impact of population growth on water bodies, and to reduce the potential growth impacts of sewering. The town will integrate the goals of smart growth and affordable housing with its wastewater management goals.
• The town will continue to acquire and analyze property throughout the town to support nutrient management. Sites for discharge of treated wastewater may be particularly limited, so the town will focus first on locating appropriate discharge sites.
• The town’s wastewater infrastructure, including its existing pump stations and treatment plant, will need to be “good neighbors” in order to facilitate acceptance of the siting of additional facilities.

Process

• The town’s Nutrient Management Group shall serve as the town’s technical advisor for wastewater and nutrient management planning and shall regularly update the Board of Selectmen on its progress and hold public meetings as necessary to share planning progress and seek input from the community.
• This vision statement and these strategies will continue to be regularly updated and reviewed by the Board of Selectmen, who will promote citizen participation in the process.

2. CURRENT WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN FALMOUTH

Approximately 3% of the Town's properties are connected to the Town's wastewater system. The vast majority of the remaining developed properties in Falmouth have onsite individual cesspools or septic systems, though there are a number of developments with small private wastewater treatment systems.

The Town's wastewater treatment facility treats wastewater from the properties connected directly to the sewer, as well as the septage pumped from all of the individual cesspools and septic systems in Town.

Cesspools and Septic Systems

Cesspools and septic systems are inspected by the Town's Public Heath Department. Cesspools and septic tanks should generally be pumped out a minimum of every 3 years, though pumping can be required more frequently due to a variety of causes, including system load rate, water table elevation, soil characteristics, etc.. You can get your septic system pumped by hiring a private septage hauler, listed in the phone book. The haulers will pump the septage (sludge and liquid) from your cesspool or septic tank into a truck and haul it to the Town's Wastewater Treatment Facility, where they will be charged by weight for disposal.

Existing Wastewater Treatment System

The Town's Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is located at 154 Blacksmith Shop Road, east of Route 28 and north of Blacksmith Shop Road in Falmouth (directions to the WWTF provided under links below).

The Town's original WWTF was constructed in the mid 1980's and was an aerated lagoon plant. The Town began a major upgrade of the WWTF (the $15,000,000 WWTF Improvements Project) in 2003. Discharge from the upgraded WWTF began in November of 2005.

The upgrade project has dramatically improved the quality of the effluent discharged from the WWTF. The upgraded plant is reducing the effluent concentration of total nitrogen to below 3 milligrams per liter, and the effluent concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids to below 5 milligrams per liter. In 2004 (before the upgraded WWTF began operating), effluent concentrations of BOD, TSS and TN averaged 37, 29 and 27 milligrams per liter, respectively. Because of the nitrogen concentration reduction, the new WWTF is substantially reducing the nitrogen load to the West Falmouth Harbor watershed.

The design flow of the upgraded WWTF is 1.2 million gallons per day (average annual flow). The Department of Environmental Protection is expected to issue a groundwater discharge permit for the WWTF limiting discharge within the West Falmouth Harbor watershed to 1.0 million gallons per day, based on an average annual effluent nitrogen concentration of 3 milligrams per liter of total nitrogen.

Treatment at the WWTF is provided by (1) a screen which physically removes large solids, (2) Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBRs) which remove organic material and nitrogen through biological processes, (3) denitrification filters which physically remove solids and biologically remove additional nitrogen, and (4) ultraviolet lights which disinfect the wastewater.

Treated wastewater is discharged to either infiltration basins or to spray irrigation fields. The infiltration basins are large sand beds from which the treated wastewater infiltrates into the soil, and eventually, to the groundwater table. In the spray irrigation areas, the treated wastewater is sprayed over the ground and vegetation using a network of piping and sprinkler heads.

Septage received at WWTF is mixed with excess sludge from the SBRs, then run through a set of sludge thickeners which remove liquid from the sludge. The liquid removed during the thickening process is returned to the SBRs for treatment. The thickened sludge is hauled by a contractor to an off-site disposal facility (normally an incinerator).

Existing Wastewater Collection System

The areas of Falmouth that are currently tied into the wastewater collection system are: portions of Woods Hole, portions of the Main Street and Davis Straits areas, and a portion of the Falmouth Beach area. The collection system is sketched in green on the Wastewater Treatment and Collection System map (see link under Map and Photo Index below). Within these areas, wastewater flows by gravity from the sewered properties to lift stations.

There are three small and three larger lift stations in the Falmouth Wastewater System. The larger lift stations are located on Water Street in Woods Hole (Woods Hole Lift Station), near the corner of Katherine Lee Bates Road and Post Office Road (Shivericks Lift Station), and at the corner of Jones Road and Palmer Road (Jones/Palmer Lift Station). The lift stations pump the wastewater via force mains to the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Force main route and lift station locations are also shown on the Wastewater Treatment and Collection System map (see link under Map and Photo Index below).

3. COMPREHENSIVE WASTEWATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROJECT

UPDATE Nov /2010- : Final CWMPRC Recommendation and Technical Memorandums 1- 7 In February 2010 the Falmouth Board of Selectmen formed a Plan Review Committee to review the Draft Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Committee was comprised of nine (11) members. The Committee requested additional technical information from the Town’s Consultant: These Technical Memoranda and Recommendations to the Board of Selectmen Document were presented to the selectmen on November 1,2010 and are available at the Town of Falmouth’s Main Library . All of the Meeting Minutes, documents, and official Committee proceedings are located at www.falmouthmass.us/cwmprc.

The scope for this project includes an evaluation of potential sites town-wide for discharge of treated wastewater, and wastewater and nutrient management planning for the watersheds to the Town’s southern coastal ponds from Little Pond to Waquoit Bay (i.e., Little Pond, Great Pond, Green Pond, Bournes Pond, Eel Pond and Waquoit Bay).

The project is divided into the following four tasks:

Task 1: Hydrogeologic Evaluation of Potential Treated Wastewater Discharge Sites
Task 2: Needs Assessment (see Link below)
Task 3: Development and Screening of Alternatives (see Link below)
Task 4: Detailed Evaluation of Alternatives and Recommended Plan

Requests for Proposals for the project were solicited in the Fall of 2006, and the engineering firm Stearns and Wheler was selected to perform the work. Stearns and Wheler began work on the project in early March, 2007.

The following project website has been developed to provide the public with information and updates about the project: Falmouth's Wastewater and Nutrient Management Projects Website. You will also find in the Links section of this website the following additional CWMP information: a power point presentation to the Board of Selectman, the Needs Assessment Report and the Development and Screening of Alternatives Report. Copies of these reports are also available at the five Falmouth public libraries. Please discuss these reports in your precinct,village and association meetings.

4. NEW SILVER BEACH WASTEWATER PROJECT

New Silver Beach Project Status Update (as of July 2, 2009):

Construction of the New Silver Beach Wastewater Project has been successfully completed. The Town sent a letter (New Silver Beach Project Sewer Connection Letter) at the end of June 2009 to property owners in the New Silver Beach Sewer Service Area notifying them of system availability and requiring them to connect their homes to the wastewater system within 90 days of July 1, 2009. The letter also outlined the process and requirements for connections.

Please contact the Conservation Commission with any questions regarding the Conservation Commission's review and approval process for New Silver Beach sewer connections.

New Silver Beach Project Status, Cost and Betterment Update (as of August 28, 2007)

The New Silver Beach Wastewater Project Betterment Hearing was held Monday, August 27, 2007 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Hall. Letters were sent via certified mail to all owners of property within the New Silver Beach Sewer Service Area notifying them of this hearing date.

At the hearing, the following information was provided:
- The estimated total project cost is $10,700,000, based on construction bids opened in July 2007.
- The cost to be paid by the Town (30%) is approximately $3,210,000.
- The cost to be paid by abutters through betterments (70%) is approximately $7,490,000.
- An estimated 231 properties will be assessed a betterment.
- The estimated cost per betterment assessment is therefore: $32,424.24
- The annual payment if the betterment is paid over 20 years (without interest) is $1,621.21
- The New Sewer Beach Sewer Service Area and properties to be assessed a betterment are shown on the New Silver Beach Wastewater Project Betterment Plan. On the Betterment Plan, properties to be assessed a betterment are shaded “tan” color, and unassessed properties are not shaded, i.e., are white.
- Every parcel in the service area will be assessed a betterment, whether currently developed or not (and whether currently assessed as developable or not), because there is currently insufficient information to determine whether, for example, a parcel currently assessed as undevelopable will be developable in the future. The only exceptions (the only parcels in the service area not assessed) are: parcels owned by the Town of Falmouth, parcels owned by the 300 Committee (open space) and 4 undeveloped privately owned parcels that have been deemed clearly undevelopable due to wetlands and/or parcel size, frontage and access.
- A property being assessed a betterment charge does not constitute a finding by the Town that the property is buildable. Owners of assessed undeveloped parcels would still need to go through all the normal permitting processes in order to build on a vacant lot.
- Betterment charges will appear on tax bills after the project is completed and final project cost is known (estimated 2 to 2.5 years).
- The final betterment assessment can decrease based on final project costs, but cannot increase above the cost approved at the betterment hearing.
- Property owners may seek abatements of the betterments AFTER the betterments have been assessed. Basis for abatement could include, for example, proof of a permanent deed restriction preventing development of a property.

Engineering drawings and specifications were initially completed for the project in early 2003. All permits required for the project were issued, including three permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and one from the Town's Conservation Commission. These permits have been appealed by project opponents, delaying the project. The Town has prevailed in all permit appeals to-date.

Due to project delays, the project cost increased substantially over time. In the Fall of 2006, Town Meeting passed Article 29 which appropriated an additional $7,733,000 for the project, bringing the total project appropriation to $12,500,000. At the same Town Meeting, Article 30 was passed. Article 30 proposed to pay for 70% of the project cost through betterments assessed of abutting property owners, and 30% of the project cost through a Town debt exclusion. In May of 2007, voters passed ballot question 2, which provided the required proposition 2 ½ exemption to allow the Town to pay a portion of the project cost.

The project was issued for bid in June, 2007. Constuction began in September of 2007 and was completed in June of 2009.

The State Revolving Fund Program is providing a 0% interest loan for the New Silver Beach project.

New Silver Beach Wastewater Project Goal

The goal of the New Silver Beach Wastewater Project is to address a public health emergency by sewering a portion of the New Silver Beach neighborhood. This area is subject to regular septic system overflows due to low elevation and location within a coastal flood zone. Sewering the area is crucial in order to eliminate this health risk for neighborhood residents and visitors. In addition, sewering the area will reduce environmental impacts on the downgradient coastal waters.

In 1997, the Town voters passed the New Silver Beach Sewer ByLaw (see bylaw in links below), which established the New Silver Beach Sewer Service Area and regulations for development within that Service Area.

New Silver Beach Sewer Service Area

The New Silver Beach Sewer Service Area includes approximately 231 properties, as shown on the New Silver Beach Wastewater Project Betterment Plan. In addition, the New Silver Beach Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) treats wastewater from the North Falmouth Elementary School.

New Silver Beach Wastewater System Description

A wastewater collection system has been constructed in the NSB Service Area to convey wastewater, primarily by gravity, to a lift station. The wastewater is pumped from the lift station to the WWTF via a force main (pipe route and plant location shown on New Silver Beach Wastewater Project map; see link under Map and Photo Index below). The wastewater is treated using Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology to substantially reduce concentrations of nitrogen, solids and other pollutants. The treated wastewater is then be conveyed to a system of infiltration trenches. A school youth soccer field has been constructed above the infiltration trench area. See NSB Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System Map (see link under Map and Photo Index below) for the layout of the wastewater treatment and disposal locations over an aerial photo of the area.

The system is designed for a total wastewater flow rate of 60,000 gallons per day. The Town will not accept septage (sludge pumped from septic tanks) at the NSB WWTF location; septage is accepted at the Town's main WWTF at 154 Blacksmith Shop Road. Only wastewater from the NSB Sewer Service Area and from the North Falmouth Elementary School is treated at the NSB WWTF.