HomeMy Public PortalAboutM&FWQTF 2016-10-17 (2) (Of( rat Gtg/t F-
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ORLEANS JOAN CLERK
Marine&Fresh Water Quality Task Force
Skaket Room,Orleans Town Hall
October 17,2016
Task Force Members Attending: Carolyn Kennedy(chair), Mike Brink, Carol
Etzold, Betsy Furtney, Larry Minear,Judy Scanlon and Ken Scott.
Sims McGrath (BOS liaison)
Meeting called to order: 10:03 a.m.
Minutes of Sept. 19 were accepted as submitted. (7-0-0)
Aquaculture update: Carolyn reported that the oyster experiment in Lonnie's
Pond is progressing. Later in the fall, oysters will be moved from their current
location to an area of deeper water. For the moment,the jury is still out on the cost-
effectiveness of nitrogen removal by these oysters as contrasted with other means.
When those costs are calculated,high costs of management and monitoring will
need to be taken into account,along with the limitations on the oysters' utility.
While they may prove helpful in mitigating nitrogen levels, they are not a vehicle for
tackling other problems (e.g.,pharmaceutical residues).
Carolyn and Judy,who will be attending a meeting of the Shellfish Working Group
later today,will inquire about whether the young oysters provided last year by
Orleans Pond Coalition were useful. They had been scattered over a wide area by
the harbormaster rather than situated in beds. It was recalled that the deed
conveying Kent's Point to the Town contains a specific provision to allow
aquaculture in the area. A detailed review of the project in a Cape Codder article by
Doreen Leggett("The Oyster Solution: Scientists seek clues from pond sediment")
will be filed in the Task Force file in the Planning office.
Warrant articles for Special Town Meeting(Oct. 24) The Task Force reviewed
the provisions that will be considered by voters later in the month. Article 2,which
requires a 2/3 vote,authorizes the provision of$3,228,200 to fund an Amended
Water Quality Management Plan. The plan is the product of a consensus agreement
reached by the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel (OWQAP) and is unanimously
supported by the BOS; the recommendation of the Finance Committee will be made
at Town Meeting.
The provisions that will be reviewed by voters include $2,484,700 for planning and
engineering,including non-traditional technologies, $408,000 for adaptive
management and implementation (with special attention to Cedar Pond and the
Rock Creek Harbor watershed),and $335,500 for associated program management
costs. If approved,the money authorized would underwrite activities for eight
months beginning in November of this year. The$3.3 million package would help
develop the underlying platform for the town's water quality efforts, on the basis of
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which permitting would be sought for the future of this multi-faceted program. The
$335,500 item includes $72,000 for activities related to freshwater ponds.
Revised CWMP Carolyn circulated copies of the index to the preliminary draft of
the Amended Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan prepared by AECOM
Technical Services (June 2016). While the report itself contains many details,the
Executive Summary should be required reading. Carolyn has reviewed the
voluminous pages of the document and provided edits and comments.
BOS/Eversource hearing on Cedar Pond(Sept.21) Sims,who has served as the
BOS point person for dealing with Eversource,noted encouraging signs that the
power company may address the town's concerns by re-routing the problematic
power lines around Cedar Pond along current roadways. This approach would be
consistent with what Eversource is doing in other areas with similar lines. If
agreement between the parties does not happen during the next 60 days,the courts
and state may once again enter into the decision-making. For the moment,the ball
is in Eversource's court.
Planning for FY 2017 The Task Force reviewed our current charge,which was
approved at the May 2000 Town Meeting in Article 40. There have been many
changes in the past 15 years. In fact,water quality issues are now more dynamically
understood in relation to wastewater concerns than a decade or two ago.
Our charge as a Task Force identifies seven functions, a list that is no longer current
and with items which have changed considerably. There are more parties (both
public and private) engaged in water quality issues. The task of protecting and
enhancing water quality is far more complex now with many more institutional,
political,and bureaucratic interconnections. The number of citizens engaged in
monitoring and remediation has burgeoned. Yet the tasks taken on by volunteers -
or under discussion -- are testing their limits. The division of labor among the
Town's various task forces and advisory groups has evolved.
Clearly our own charge as a Task Force needs review and updating. We agreed to
continue our discussion at the November meeting. Sims expressed the view that the
BOS might consider changes in our mandate that seem warranted. Meanwhile,we
also need to give some thought to our 2016 contribution to the annual report.
Future TF Meetings: 11/21, 12/19
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m.
Respectfully s bmitt#t, J
Larry Minear V`
Future meetings: Nov. 21 and Dec. 19
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