HomeMy Public PortalAboutMarine Minutes 2009-08-17 Oyrleans Marine and Fresh Water Quality Task Force
Minutes ®f August 17, 2009
The meeting was called to order by Carolyn Kennedy at 10:05 am.
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Members attending: Carolyn Kennedy, Gilbert Merrill, Ken Scott,Judy Scanlon, Bob -a
Royce and Selectman Dave Dunford. " P
The minutes Of 20 July were APPROVED 5-0-0*
Vice Chair for FY 2009-2010 was ELECTED. Judy Scanlon: 4-0-1 CD: can
PAIS sampling (Pond and Lake Stewards) is scheduled for Aug 18 thru Sept 30. 17
ponds in Orleans will be sampled. Samples have to be transported to Barnstable daily.
Summer estuary sampling in progress with 3 down and 2 to go. Substitutes are
needed due to illness of a sampler and a driver. Paul Niles will help Aug 24, Ken Scott
volunteered to cover on Sept 9.. Gilbert will fill in to drive samples to New Bedford on
Aug 24.
The apparent problems with Eel Pond(PALS #152)were discussed. Sample being
examined by Barnstable Co Dept of Health.
The Wastewater Management Validation and Design Committee's report on
Pleasant Bay from was circulated and some discrepancies were noted. The members
were urged to read the entire report. Data that was never collected was used in some
graphs and statements. There is no evidence that the nitrogen levels in the Orleans
portion of Pleasant Bay have been decreasing for 22 years as the report alleges. No data
is available for those early years. There has been no collection of data in Arey's and
Meetinghouse Ponds since 2006. The data points that appear in graphs for those two
ponds are erroneous. Therefore the trend lines are also in error.
Other water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen are vitally important to the
health of our estuaries and the organisms that live and breed in them.
The importance of eelgrass as " a canary in the coal mine" and internationally
recognized as such was disparaged in the report. The committee seems to have its own
agenda and is pursuing it without regard to the facts and science involved. We are
concerned about the impact of this report of the progress of the comprehensive
wastewater planning process.
Meeting adjourned at moo am.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert S. Royce
Clerk
OWQTF17Aug09