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Town Of Brewster
2198 Main Street
Brewster, Massachusetts 02631-1898
(508) 896-3701 ext. 133
FAX (508) 896-8089
Date Approved: 11/8/10, Hughes, J/Skidmore, 6-0-1, Usowski abstain
Comprehensive Water
Planning Committee
TOWN OF BREWSTER MINUTES OF _=:=,_-~=: -_:4___~~::
COMPREHENSIVE WATER PLANNING COMMITTEE
3rd COMMUNITY MEETING
Monday, September 11, 2010 at 10:00 AM LL _ _ _` _ _ _
Ladies Library in Brewster, MA -
Pat Hughes convened the 3rd Comprehensive Water Planning Committee Community
Meeting at 10:05 am in the Ladies Library with members Joanne Hughes, Elizabeth Taylor,
and Lem Skidmore. Dave Bennett arrived at 10:10 am.
Members Absent: Jane Johnson, John Lipman and Amy Usowski
Also Present: Sue Leven, Nancy Ice, Ed Lewis, Jim Gallagher
Attendance: approximately 35 citizens
Community Meeting with Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) -the third community meeting on
the development of a town-wide Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (IWRMP)
P. Hughes -Welcomed everyone to the Community Meeting. She provided an overview of
the goals of the meeting and the goals of the committee.
Introduction of the Committee Members:
All the members introduced themselves. Pat informed them that a few members Jane
Johnson, John Lipman and Amy Usowski were absent and provided and overview of their
backgrounds.
Hughes, P: Introduced the CWPC support advisors: Sue Leven, Ed Lewis, Nancy Ice, and
Jim Gallagher.
Hughes encouraged everyone to sign up on the a-mail list in order to receive updated
information. She then requested that if anyone had suggestions on how to improve outreach
to the public to feel free to let the committee know.
Introduction of the CDM staff:
Dave Young, Project Manager
Bernadette Kolb -Project Engineer
Mary Barry -Public Outreach
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Rob Musci -Project Engineer
Overview: (David Young) provided an overview of why they are here: the purpose of the
meeting and the presentation. He asked how many citizens had attended previous meetings
and how many were seasonal residents. The majority of attendees were first time attendees
and a handful of seasonal residents raised their hands.
Young noted that a handout detailing the presentation was available for everyone to follow
along with and to take home. He explained the goals of the IWRP and the purpose of the
meeting. He also encouraged the attendees to provide input. The committee and the
consultants need everyone's input/comments in order to develop a sound plan for Brewster.
He highlighted what he wanted everyone to think about while they were listening to the
presentation.
Young: provided a basic overview of what defined Brewster's Water resources:
1. Groundwater - Monomoy lens (drinking water, source to estuaries and ponds)
2. Cape Cod Bay Coast - >5 miles of shoreline, 325 acres' of beach
3. Estuaries - Quivett Creek, Namskaket Creek, Pleasant Bay, Herring River, Bass River
4. Freshwater Ponds - 81 ponds in town.
CDM did a needs analysis for the water resources. The analysis looked at the following:
1. defining nitrogen reduction
2. identifying impaired ponds (phosphorus)
3. reducing bacteria at coastal resources
CDM provided a list of pollutant sources:
1. Controllable sources -septic systems, storm water run-off, fertilizers, animal wastes,
regeneration from pond sediments, dishwashing detergents, wastes from boats
2. Uncontrollable sources -weather
Groundwater needs assessment criteria and draft thresholds (CDM established these criteria
and ranked the areas in town)
1. Zone II and DCPC areas
2. Zoning bylaws
3. Impervious area
4. Poor soil suitability
5. Protected open space
6. 15,000 SF parcel size
7. Development density
8. Depth to groundwater
CDM found the following:
1. Groundwater analysis - 15 of the 50 sub watersheds are potentially at risk
2. Estuaries analysis; 22 of the 50 sub watersheds are nitrogen sensitive and subject to
TMDLs, 11 of 50 sub watersheds are waiting for results from MEP
3. Sub watersheds; 17 of 50 sub watersheds can remain with onsite systems, 11 of 50 sub
watersheds are awaiting results from MEP, 22 of 50 sub watersheds may need on-site
innovative systems; NO sub watersheds, based on the data to-date, need an off-site
solution.
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4. Estuary Needs -Pleasant Bay requires up to 52% removal of septic system nitrogen and
requires an alternative evaluation for wastewater treatment. Herring River and Bass River
are awaiting MEP results
PONDS Overview -Bernadette Kolb presented this information.
Kolb: presented a background on Brewster's Ponds and the parameters for assessing the
ponds health. She identified the 5 ponds that MEP has identified as having poor water quality.
CDM reviewed the ponds based on the following:
1. comments from the committee,
2. the Cape Cod Commissions criteria and
3. the ponds without data they looked at in terms of impervious cover and Cranberry bog
presences.
High quality Ponds: Little Cliff Pond, Sheep Pond and Higgins Pond
Meet Most of the criteria: Cobbs Pond, Eel Pond
Some water quality impairment: Cahoon, Flax, Griffiths
Impaired ponds: Walkers, Upper Mill, Lower Mill, Canoe, Schoolhouse, Owl Pond
Blueberry Pond - no oxygen in the bottom of the pond
Cliff Pond -only pond that had a toxic algae bloom several years ago
Elbow Pond - no oxygen in the bottom -adjacent to 2 cranberry bogs
Seymour -cranberry bogs around the pond
Long Pond -has been treated with alum
Other Ponds without data
Needs Assessment:
1. Future Action for the impaired ponds: need to collect missing date, conduct diagnostic
study and develop an action plan (recommendations)
2. Future Action for the slightly impaired ponds:
COASTAL WATER RESOURCES:
Generally the coastal resources are in good shape. Only Namskaket has been studied by
MEP.
Next Steps: determine the bacteria that caused the beaches to be closed occasionally (i.e.
waste from birds, animals, sources of storm water, and high density of septic systems).
Young: The committee is in the process of evaluating CDM's next steps/findings. CDM has
summarized the key steps that they think the town should be focused on. The findings have
been broken down by immediate steps, future steps.
IMMEDIATE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Planning:
1. Develop a GIS database that combines the water use data with the assessor's data. It
would be helpful to know water use by parcel, Title 5 failed systems, storm water
systems/discharge.
2. Review and update buildout analysis by watershed.
3. Analyze non-conforming uses
4. Review alternative nitrogen removal systems
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5. Continue to monitor ponds (possibly add additional ponds -right now you only have data
on 29 ponds and Brewster has over 80 ponds).
6. Meet with Cranberry bog owners
7. initiate diagnostic studies for impaired ponds in order to protect high quality ponds
Education:
1. Develop citizen education program =impact of fertilizer on the watersheds; alternative
landscape options that require less water; monitor your own ponds
Fiscal:
1. Identify funding mechanisms
FUTURE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS;
Planning:
1. complete the data collection
2. recommend a program to address nitrogen removal
3. expand the monitoring program
4. develop/implement a restoration plan for impaired ponds
Infrastructure:
1. finalize development of a storm water management program
2. divert storm water systems that directly discharge into ponds
Education:
1. Continue to foster stakeholder participation in Brewster's' IWRMP
Planning/Fiscal:
1. Work in neighboring town of discuss long-term planning
2. Confirm alternative solutions
Open to Public Comment:
Unidentified citizen: Concerned about the Upper/Mill Pond area and the fact that the area is
impaired. Why is that impaired when there isn't much development in the area? Kolb: ponds
get impaired in 2 ways: what happens on the land and the pond itself. The internal load can
often be a big source of the quality. CDM suspects that it is an internal load issue if those
ponds are Kettle hole ponds. She also identified that there is a pipe from a nearby cranberry
bog that may be discharging into the pond and impacting it. These ponds are also inflowing
ponds -there are streams that come in -erosion may be impacting water quality.
Unidentified citizen: Sheep's Pond isn't impaired -why isn't the human density impacting it?
Is there a way to look at how the density impacts the pond? Kolb -not exactly, the soil is
pervious and water moves fast.
Unidentified citizen: Sheep's Pond had mercury in it? Why wasn't Long Pond flagged -The
State did a testing program on a limited number of ponds and because it was one of the
ponds tested it got flagged.
Unidentified citizen: Walker Pond Area -impact on the wells in the area? Kolb: there
shouldn't be an impact because there is a high point that flows away from the wells.
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Unidentified citizen: Down the pipe thinking...we need an alt citizens education program and
bring all citizens up to speed on the ways they can help.
Hughes, P.: we have prepared handouts, the Water Department has great information on
how to conserve water, the website, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Services and the
Pleasant Bay Alliance have done some good work and are preparing some recommendations.
We are responsible for citizen information and have identified citizen education as a goal of
the committee.
Unidentified citizen: Are you looking at the impact of NStar's use of herbicides?
Hughes, P: the Conservation Commission is looking at this. The committee has not looked at
that specifically at this point.
Young: CDM could look at where the major power lines are and where they cut through to
see the impact especially if they are going through the Zone 2. Lewis: NStar was supposed
to get back to the Town on the impact of the spraying on the power lines. Education on the
Lower Cape is difficult because a large portion of our residents don't live here year round. So
this is a challenge we are faced with. Mr. Lewis would encourage people to provide data and
input.
Unidentified citizen: Define what is meant by the TMDLs? Young: Totally maximum daily
load -EPA has developed a measure that establishes a load for a water body. The towns are
then responsible for determining ways to get to that maximum. The TMDL is based on actual
data.
Leven: Pointed out the information that was available on the back table. Of particular interest
is a handout on how to dispose of medication.
Unidentified citizen: On the education side of this, we represent 2 homeowners associations
around Cobbs Pond. They published a brochure and distributed it to homeowners around the
pond. This is the only way to get to all the communities. Would be willing to get the brochure
out to whoever wants it. Associations need to be proactive and get the information out to your
neighbors.
Unidentified citizen: Wanted to understand the impact of septic system on the water? Does
our wastewater get treated any way? Hughes: the title 5 systems treat the solids, Ocean
Edge has a treatment system. Does a septic system leak something? Young provided an
overview of the septic system. The water portion flows out to a leaching field -and eventually
flows into the groundwater. By the time the water gets to the groundwater it has been treated
by nature. So, a working septic system that has been pumped regularly should be working
and should have minimal impact.
Unidentified citizen: Are there any regulations on when to pump? Young, doesn't believe so it
may be a future recommendation that they develop. The real danger with septic systems is if
the solids were to overflow that is the problem. Ice: recommend systems to be pumped every
3 years.
Unidentified citizen: He had read that the Conservation Law Foundation is suing someone
over nitrogen loads and the impact on the towns? Young: there is a suit against Cape Cod
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Commission. CDM recommends that the Town continue to proceed and not to wait and be
told what to do. The town should move forward on water on their own schedule and how you
can afford to move forward. Hughes the committee has funding for the 2"d phase and they
plan to continue.
Unidentified citizen: Is this presentation online? Young - it will be and for easier viewing
there are larger sized maps displayed around the room.
P. Hughes: Thanked everyone for coming and mentioned the handouts in the back of the
room and that anyone interested in getting on the email list should sign up in the back. The
committee meets every 2"d and 4th Mondays at 4:30 in Town Hall. The next meeting is
Monday the 13t" at 4:30.
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 am.
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