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00-01 604 Cape Cod Surface Water Nutrient Mang. Study

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00-01 604 Cape Cod Surface Water Nutrient Mang. Study I G.pt,td> I I Cape Cod Surface Water I Nutrient Management Study I Final Report I June, 2002 · I Prepared by Cape Cod Commission I Water Resources Office I CAPE COD COMMISSION I Barnstable Harbor t I Pocasset Harbor I I I I I I I I I I I Cape Cod Surface Water Management Study I Project 2000-01/604 FINAL REPORT I Barnstable Harbor, Pocasset Harbor, and Megansett Harbor I Prepared by: Cape Cod Commission Eduard M. Eichner, Water Scientist/Project Manager Scott C. Michaud, Hydrologist I Thomas C. Cambareri, Water Resources Program Manager Ben Smith, GIS Analyst Gary Prahm, GIS Program Manager I Margo Fenn, Executive Director I Prepared for: MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENV~RONMENTALPROTECTION I BUREAU OF RESOURCE PROTECTION AND U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY I REGION I MASSACHUSETTS EXECU'J'IVEOFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTALAFFAIRS I Robert Durand, Secretary DEPARTMENTOF ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION Lauren Liss, Commissioner I BUREAU OF RESOURCE PROTECTION Cynthia Giles, Assistant Commissioner DIVISION OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES I Michael Rotondi, Director June, 2002 I This project has been financed partially with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency {EPA} to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under a S604b Competitive Grant. The contents of this report do not ·nec·essarily reflect the views and policies of EPA or of DEP, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute I endorsement or recommendation for use. I I I I I I Table of Contents Final Report I Cape Cod Surface Water Management Project June2002 I I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 II. GENERAL EVALUATION PROCESS ....................................................................................... 2 I A. NITROGEN LOADING LIMITS AND FLUSHING STUDIES ..................................................................... 2 i. Flushing Study Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 3 ii. Nitrogen Loading Limits ................................................................................................................. 4 I iii. Current Regulatory Setting............................................................................................................. 6 B. WATERSHED DELINEATION ................................................................................................. : ............ 8 C. LAND USE AND NITROGEN LOADING ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 9 I D. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ........................................ 11 III. BARN ST ABLE HARBOR SYSTEM ........................................................................................ 13 A. FLUSHING STUDY, CRITICAL LOADS, AND COMPARISON TO NITROGEN LOADS ............................ 13 I B. POTENTIAL NITROGEN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR HUCKINS CREEK .................................... 16 C. NEXT STEPS/DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................. 17 I IV. POCASSET HARBOR/MEGANSETT HARBOR SYSTEMS ............................................. 19 A. FLUSHING STUDY, CRITICAL LOADS, AND COMPARISON TO NITROGEN LOADS ............................ 19 B. POTENTIAL NITROGEN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR RANDS HARBOR .•................................... 26 I C. POTENTIAL NITROGEN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR FIDDLERS COVE ..................................... 27 D. NEXT STEPSiDISCUSSJONiRECOMMENDA TIONS ............................................................................. 28 I IV. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................ 30 V. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 32 I I I I I I I I I I List of Figures Final Report Cape Cod Surface Water Management Project I June2002 fl!ge Figure I. Four Step Approach to Nitrogen Management of Coastal Waters 3 I Figure 2. Local vs. System Residence Time 4 Figure 3. Barnstable Harbor System Watersheds 14 Figure 4. Existing and Future Nitrogen Loading (Barnstable Harbor System) 15 I Figure 5. Pocasset Harbor and Megansett Harbor Watersheds 20 Figure 6. Existing and Buildout Nitrogen Loading (Pocasset Harbor and 22 Megansett Harbor) I Figure 7. LF-1 Plume and Nitrogen Loading to Pocasset and Megansett Harbors 25 I List of Tables Final Report Cape Cod Surface Water Management Project I June 2002 Page I Table I. Current BBP Recommended Coastal Embayment Nitrogen Loading Limits. 6 Table 2. Technical Bulletin 91-001 Nitrogen Loading Factors 11 Table 3. Residence Times and Volumes in the in the Barnstable Harbor Embayment 13 I System Table 4. Critical and Watershed Nitrogen Loads in the Barnstable Harbor Embayment 16 System I Table 5. Selected Potential Nitrogen Management Options Reviewed (Huckins Creek 17 subwatershed) Table 6. Residence Times and Volumes in the in the Pocasset and Megansett Harbor 19 I Systems Table 7. Critical and Watershed Nitrogen Loads in the Pocasset and Megansett Harbor 21 Systems Table 8. Comparison of Estimated and Observed Average Nitrogen Concentrations in 24 I Pocasset and Megansett Harbor Table 9. Selected Nitrogen Management Options Reviewed (Rands Harbor) 27 I Table IO. Selected Nitrogen Management Options Reviewed (Fiddlers Cove) 28 I I I I I I I Executive Summary Concerns about degraded coastal water quality have been growing as a national issue throughout the I l 990s and into this century. On Cape Cod, concerns have been focussed on increasing numbers of embayments and estuaries as infonnation has been collected to document the extent of the problems. The Cape Cod Commission has been working to develop basic infonnation about selected estuaries and the land uses within their watersheds for over ten years. Using grants from the state and water resources I investigation funds, the Commission has funded tidal flushing studies, developed watershed and subwatershed delineations, evaluated existing and potential future buildout nitrogen loads within these subwatersheds, and compared these to available coastal nitrogen limits. This report documents nitrogen I loading assessments completed by the Cape Cod Commission for the Barnstable Harbor coastal system of Sandwich, Barnstable and Yannouth, the Pocasset Harbor system in Bourne, and the Megansett I Harbor system in Bourne and Falmouth. These assessments indicated that Huckins Creek in Barnstable Harbor and the Rands Harbor and Fiddlers Cove in Megansett Harbor have excessive nitrogen loads, under either existing or buildout I conditions, entering these subembayments from their watersheds. Staff evaluated potential improved wastewater treatment, fertilizer limitations, and land use preservation options to meet the nitrogen limits for each of these subembayinents. All of the identified options would require significant changes in wastewater infrastructure; moving from the prevalent use of standard Title 5 septic systems to use of I either denitrifying septic systems or centralized wastewater treatment plants. Because of these types of changes would require significant ·funding and development of management I institutions, project staff recommend that more refined evaluations of these subestuaries be completed. These evaluations are scheduled to occur as part of the recently initiated Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP). This project, which is jointly funded by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the I University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Barnstable County, and the communities of southeastern Massachusetts, will bring together many of the partners that the Commission has been working with over the past 10 years and standardize the development of watershed management tools for estuaries. I These refined evaluations will include components of the analyses included in this report, as well as incorporation of water quality data, benthic sediment and biota characterization, eelgrass mapping, and development of calibrated water quality models. These models will be available to communities to review the impacts of wastewater infrastructure, land use preservation, and fertilizer management I changes. In the interim, project staff recommend that the involved towns develop the necessary three years worth I of water quality monitoring to initiate the Estuaries Project analysis, consider purchase of available parcels to reduce future nitrogen loads and preserve options for siting of advanced wastewater treatment facilities, and evaluate potential options for wastewater management districts. Monitoring should be I coordinated through the School of Marine Science and Technology at UMASS-Dartmouth to guarantee that results can be used in the Estuaries Project analyses. In addition, since the three harbors evaluated in this project are scheduled to be addressed in the later four years of the Estuaries Project and funding I has not been formally secured for these years, the towns and other interested parties should consider working with state officials to ensure that MEP-type assessments are completed for these harbors. Cape Cod Commission SurfaceWater Management Study I Final Report (June. 2002) I I I I I I. INTRODUCTION Coastal waters throughout the United State are under stress from increasing development within their watersheds.
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