University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects 10-2017 Innovative Waste Water Strategies in the Landscape: The Application of Green Infrastructure Principles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Kellie Fenton University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/larp_ms_projects Part of the Landscape Architecture Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons Fenton, Kellie, "Innovative Waste Water Strategies in the Landscape: The Application of Green Infrastructure Principles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts" (2017). Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects. 88. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/larp_ms_projects/88 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. 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Innovative Waste Water Strategies in the Landscape: The application of green infrastructure principles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Kellie Fenton Masters in Landscape Architecture Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning University of Massachusetts, Amherst Innovative Waste Water Strategies in the Landscape: The application of green infrastructure principles in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Kellie Fenton Masters in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning University of Massachusetts, Amherst October, 2017 Carolina Aragon, Committee Chair Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst Carey Clouse, Committee Member Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst Jane Thurber, Committee Member Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst Robert Ryan, Department Chair Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst Acknowledgments This master's project is a culmination of my learning and experience at UMass. Many individuals, both within the UMass community as and beyond, have been a part of my success. In particular, I would like to thank: Carolina Aragon, for providing inspiration and guidance throughout the program. Who always encouraged me to try new things and let my own interests and intuition guide me. Carey Clouse, for her enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of landscape architecture. And for sercving tea in class. Jane Thurber, for stepping up to provide thoughful feedback to help me connect research and analysis to design. Frank Sleegers, whose insistence to "zoom in and zoom out" helps me think in different scales to create cohesive designs. My friends and family. They understood what going back to school has meant for me and have been supportive throughout the process. 3 Table of Contents Introduction . 5 Goals 1 Scope Methodology Literature Review . 11 Waste-Water Issues 2 Green Infrastructure Ecosystem Services Waste-Water Typology - Design and Function of Waste Water Treatment Systems. 14 Landscape Urbanism / Green Infrastructure / Urban Ecology Design and Function of Waste Water Treatment Systems 3 Typology of Waste Water Treatment Conclusions: Assessment of Waste Water Management Approaches Case Studies in Innovative Design . 29 Sidwell Friends School - Washington, D.C. Wetlands in a Centralized System - Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach, Florida 4 Living Machine in Burlington, VT Conclusions: Guidelines from Case Study Research Application of Concepts . 38 Site Analysis - Existing Conditions Opportunities and Constraints 5 Proposal - Diagrams, Plans, Sections Plant Materials and Strategy Next Steps / Future Research . 81 Current Work in Watershed 6 Next steps: Potential of Green Waste Water Design Appendix . 87 7 Resources 1 Introduction INTRODUCTION Context Scope of Work Wastewater management is an issue • Develop a typology to inventory waste that every community faces. Whether a water systems small-scale septic tank or a large-scale • Case studies research of innovative centralized wastewater treatment plant, waste water treatment systems these systems are often insufficient in Research Questions • Apply knowledge to address a waste accomplishing their singular purpose: water issues in region of Cape Cod, cleaning water. This results in the How can waste water where increased development has contamination of hydrological systems. In be managed in a more resulted in contamination of the its focus on the intersection of the natural ecological manner? hydrological system. and built environment, the practice of landscape architecture may include The town of Barnstable faces the the design of wastewater management How can the design of waste water treatment following challenges: systems. This project demonstrates how • Increased development landscape architecture principles applied facilities provide benefits • Decrease in effectiveness of septic to waste water management systems to the community beyond systems provides both ecological and human water cleansing? • Ineffective centralized sewer system benefits. • Excess nutrients in groundwater detrimental to hydrological health Goals This approach seeks to accomplish the The goal of this project is to find ways that following: waste water systems can be a part of green • Create a public greenway infrastructure initiatives. The project • Reconnect fragmented hydrological proposal demonstrates that landscapes network to improve ecosystem can be multi-functional; in this case, a functionality greenway can be a recreational amenity • Improve resilience of public water and provide waste water management. infrastructure 6 INTRODUCTION Waste Water Issues Septic systems and centralized treatment sewerage treatment plants collect and treat systems are the standard approaches water through mechanical processes. This for dealing with wastewater. Yet there grey infrastructure approach, where pipes are issues with both of these treatment convey water and chemicals clean it in tanks options, and communities are now looking within the treatment facility, is separated at alternative methods for managing from the natural environment and results in On average, wastewater. a fragmented hydrological system. an individual Septic systems may not clean the water Centralized systems are built in order to sufficiently, either due to the conditions handle a larger volume of waste water, but produces of the soil or because of an increase in still contributing to the degradation of water water usage of individual households. quality. They have high maintenance costs These system insufficiencies have negative and public health issues related to outdated impacts on the surrounding environment. systems’ insufficient capacity, and are not 80 - 100 always able to treat the water to sufficient Septic systems are insufficient because standards of cleanliness. of the amount of waste water exceeds gallons the land’s capacity. Within the site, pipes In Cape Cod, an increase in development distribute the wastewater to a leach field, coupled with sandy soils results in limited where it moves through the soil, relatively effectiveness in cleaning the water. An of waste water quickly since the soils are sandy and there is excess amount of nitrogen "has resulted a limited amount of root area for plants that in degradation of estuarine and marine per day would take up and process nutrients. water quality and habitat conditions, and wastewater is a major source of nitrogen." When development is spread out, the (Stearns and Wheeler, 2009) land’s capacity can match the output of wastewater. Within this context, septic This proposal seeks to provide an systems are effectively green infrastructure. alternative wastewater treatment strategy They clean the water which then recharges that contribute to the overall system of the ground water. With increased water treatment. In doing so, it addresses development, the amount of waste water both ecological issues through landscape exceeds the land’s ability to process it design and public health issues through into clean water. As a result, centralized infrastructure. Source: United States Geological Survey PROBLEM DEFINITION Excess Nutrients in the Groundwater from Septic Systems Named for Section 208 of the federal Clean The Three Bays system exceeds its critical Water Act, Cape Cod’s Water Quality threshold for nitrogen, resulting in Management Plan or the 208 Plan, is The Cape Cod Commission and impaired water quality. The Massachusetts designed to address the problems of excess the Barnstable Clean Water Estuary Project developed a range of nitrogen, the main cause of water quality alternatives that are based in green degradation (Cape Cod Commission, Coalition have prioritized infrastructure technologies. This plan 2016). The 208 Plan is a comprehensive, Mill Pond for restoration. It is was prepared utilizing information from watershed-based approach that deploys located within the within the the Technologies Matrix along with a GIS- regulatory reforms, innovative strategies, based site screening analysis that was and community-wide processes to mitigate 3 Bays watershed. developed to identify potential site for nitrogen pollution. these technologies based on location within the watershed, depth to groundwater, Looking at the town of Barnstable, the availability