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Home My Public Portal AboutWQAP 2017-03-15 (2) ORLEANS TOWN BP Mu TicN CCLERRK S'S Gj, C GYTh /V R N O °,0 '17 JUL 11 3:O4`ti tita ORLEANS WATER QUALITY ADVISORY PANEL PROGRAM STATUS UPDATE AND MEETING MINUTES Final For the meeting of: Wednesday,March 15,2017 9:00 AM— 12:00 PM Orleans Town Hall,Nauset Room 19 School Road, Orleans,Massachusetts 02653 • A meeting of the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel(OWQAP)was called to order by Alan McClennen at 9:00 a.m. in the Nauset Meeting Room at the Orleans Town Hall. This meeting was the ninth meeting held by the OWQAP in FY 2017. The purposes of the meetings of the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel are to review and advise the Board of Selectmen on the activities of the Town and its consultants related to adaptation and implementation of the plan for wastewater and water quality management as described in the Consensus Agreement initially developed by the Panel in FY 2015. All OWQAP meeting documents and presentations for the Town of Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel are located in the following folder on the OWQAP web site: hap documents The next meeting of the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel will be held on Wednesday,April 12, 2017,from 9:00 to 12:00 AM in the Nauset Room at Town Hall. 1. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION OF PANEL A list of attendees in included as Attachment A to this document. Chairman Alan McClennen updated the group on the serious repercussions of abusing the Open Meeting Law and through the use of e-mails giving an appearance of deliberation. McClennen again reminded members that.all e-mails must be directed to Mike Domenica or George Meservey and not to any individual or group. McClennen stated there are stiff penalties for abuses including$1,000 fine per incident,as e-mails can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA). Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Minutes—March 15, 2017 Page 1 of 5 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of February 15, 2017 MOTION: A motion was made and seconded to approve the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel minutes for February 15, 2017, as amended. VOTE: The motion passed unanimously. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT Steve Smith expressed concern with the accuracy of data collection, and said that ribbed muscles,which can be found on the edges of Lonnies Pond,might have an adverse effect on water quality measurements related to the Lonnies Pond Oyster Demonstration Project. Dale Fuller commented on the importance of the statistical significance of the sample size used to determine results of the demonstration project and that results should be clear of any bias inherent in the approach to the testing protocols. Rich Francolini asked if other towns have received formal approval to utilize aquaculture. Gordon Smith posed questions on the 25%design process. 5. MEETING SUMMARY AND PROGRAM UPDATE TRI-TOWN SEPTAGE TREATMENT FACILITY DEMOLITION Tom Parece summarized the results of the Tri-Town Septage Treatment Facility Demolition bid opening held on February 15,2017. Lynn Bruneau asked for clarification regarding the calculations. Kevin Galligan questioned the Tri-town staff wind down, and McClennen responded that many have retired and the secretary is winding up last minute paperwork. DOWNTOWN AREA PRELIMINARY DESIGN REPORT(25%DESIGN) Tom Parece gave an update of the Downtown Preliminary Design Report including the following topics: Topographic survey, Subsurface Investigation,Cultural Resource Evaluation,Update Collection System type evaluation and preliminary system configuration,Wastewater Treatment Facility Process Selection, and Design Data. Tom Parece described Process Component and Wastewater Characteristic comparisons as well as effluent disposal investigations. NON-TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS Paula Winchell (AECOM)reported on shellfish demonstrations,planned and existing, in Town Cove,Kent's Point,Pleasant Bay and Lonnie's Pond. Aquaculture/Shellfish -Lonnies Pond Peer Review Mike Domenica gave a summary of five recommendations made through a Lonnie's Pond Peer Review related to SMAST work,and noted SMAST agreed with the reviewer's suggestions: Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Minutes—March 15, 2017 Page 2 of 5 • 1) Use a BACI experimental design in Year 2. Care should be taken to insure that the control sites are sufficiently far away from the impact site that there is no effect of oysters on these sites. Sampling prior to the addition of oysters should demonstrate no significant differences between the control site and the site where oysters will be added. 2) Deploy a sonde in the center of the oyster area in a manner that allows collection of quality data on oxygen concentrations as close to the sediment surface as possible. Especially with increased oyster biomass in year 2, it will be important to demonstrate that oyster biodeposition is not resulting in anoxic conditions on the bottom. 3) Incorporate light incubations and adjust incubation techniques per recommendations above. If at all possible,use oxygen probes to provide real-time data on oxygen concentrations in cores so that sampling points can be spaced appropriately. 4) Investigate factors that might explain"missing"nitrogen and account for them appropriately in Year 2 incubations. 5) Use only measured rates of denitrification to estimate impacts of oysters on nitrogen removal in Lonnie's Pond. Permeable Reactive Barriers,Nitrogen Reducing Barriers and Landfill Jim Begley gave an update on PRB technologies for areas in town including Eldredge Park and the town landfill, including an outline of potential short-term solutions to help mitigate the nitrogen flux from the landfill. The discussion of the landfill nitrogen issue focused on the consultant's efforts to define the potential magnitude,direction and velocity of flow of the nitrogen plume. Tom Parece gave an update on the progress for Nitrogen Reducing Barriers. DESIGN/BUILD/OPERATE DELIVERY OPTIONS Tom Parece gave a summary of Design/Build/Operate Delivery Options. FINANCIAL MODEL—COST ALLOCATION Tom Parece gave an update on the Financial Plan Development including current financial planning scenarios and next steps in the process. FRESHWATER PONDS PLANNING UPDATE Mike Domenica noted that the priority for fresh pond management activities will be Uncle Harvey's Pond for FY 2018,which was recommended by the freshwater ponds group. OTHER ITEMS&PUBLIC COMMENT The next Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel meeting will be held on April 12,2017. Brian Dudley commented on the progress the town has made during this process. He cautioned the Town on the need for balance between nitrogen source reduction and"end point"treatment of the water bodies. He also suggested tempering the consultant's optimism regarding the acceptance by regulators of the sediment denitrification component of the nitrogen reduction process as estimated in the Lonnies Pond Demonstration Project testing. 6. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: A motion for adjournment of the meeting was made and seconded. VOTE: The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 AM. Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Minutes—March 15,2017 Page 3 of 5 • The next meeting of the Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel will be held on Wednesday,April 12, 2017, in the Nauset Room at Town Hall. Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Minutes—March 15, 2017 Page 4 of 5 • Attachment A Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Meeting Attendees Meeting of March 15,2017 Panel Members Alan McClennen Ginia Pati Judith Bruce Paul Ammann Gordon Smith(Alternate) Jan Coulette Selectman Orleans Water Alliance Former CWMP Committee Former Peer Review Committee Orleans Taxpayers Association Orleans CAN Liaisons Lynn Bruneau Brian Dudley Heather McElroy Suzanne Phillips Carolyn Kennedy Charles Harris(Alternate) Len Short Sid Snow Orleans Finance Committee MA DEP Cape Cod Commission Orleans Shellfish &Waterways Water Quality Task Force Town of Eastham Orleans Pond Coalition Orleans Chamber of Commerce Jeff Eagles Kevin Galligan Orleans Water Alliance Orleans Conservation Trust&Cons.Comm. Presenters and Consultants Betsy Shreve Tom Parece Matthew Abrahams Paula Winchell Jim Begley Mike Domenica AECOM 2017 AECOM The Abrahams Group AECOM MT Environmental Water Resources Associates Other Attendees Walter North Fran McClennen Rick Francolini Tom Bryan Steve Smith Orleans Water Quality Advisory Panel Minutes—March 15, Page 5 of 5