In a town election this past weekend, Mashpee voters gave the town permission to borrow nearly $26 million for the construction of a wastewater treatment system that will help reduce nutrient pollution in Mashpee-Wakeby Pond.
The type of system that Mashpee voters chose to fund is known as a cluster system. It is not a full-sized wastewater treatment plant. Rather, it is a smaller facility, mostly underground, that treats wastewater produced by multiple dwellings. It’s sometimes called a community decentralized wastewater treatment system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Septic systems from homes around Mashpee-Wakeby Pond have been overloading the pond with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which occur naturally in human waste and cannot be removed by traditional septic systems. Too many nutrients, particularly phosphorus, have been contributing to regular cyanobacteria blooms in the pond. Cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins, which can harm humans and animals.
The cluster system will be built on seven acres of a 26-acre, town-owned parcel on Gunters Lane. When construction is complete, the town will restore portions of the land disturbed by the construction work.
According to Mashpee wastewater superintendent Jared Meader, while connecting homes around the pond to a sewer system would help reduce nutrient pollution, it would also be very expensive because of the layout of the neighborhood. According to the EPA, cluster systems are common in rural subdivisions.
The project went before Mashpee town meeting earlier this month. At the meeting, town manager Rodney Collins explained that despite the seemingly high price tag, the project is actually much less costly than it could be. That's because the project qualifies for zero percent financing through the State Revolving Fund and 25 percent loan forgiveness from the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund.
“The town is in a position to pay $19 million for this project instead of $46 million,” Collins said.
At town meeting, the majority of people who spoke about the project were against it. Despite the vocal opposition, the article to allow the town to borrow money for the project passed 365 to 93.
Many who spoke against the project on the town meeting floor said they supported clean water but didn't want the facility in their neighborhood. They wanted the entire parcel to remain as open space.
Mashpee Wampanoag tribal member and grants manager Talia Landry pushed back, saying everyone in town bears responsibility for protecting the water.
“If you can imagine what our ancestors had to feel as they had to give up their resources around them for all of our relatives and all of these neighbors to live here today—that's what we had to sacrifice,” she said.
After town meeting, the final hurdle was a ballot question at the town election. The question asked voters to approve a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion to fund the project. In other words, it asked voters to approve a temporary property tax increase.
According to the Mashpee Enterprise, 1,009 residents voted yes, and 315 residents voted no. About 10 percent of the town’s voters cast their ballots in this election.
