Mission Statement:

The Wastewater Implementation Committee is an advisory committee to Barnstable County. The committee is to serve as a regional forum on wastewater issues for sharing information and coordination between towns, the county and state programs, and providing local and regional input towards consensus building and developing a new regional wastewater management plan. The Wastewater Implementation Committee (or WIC) is embarking on an ambitious agenda to facilitate and encourage towns to initiate wastewater management strategies that protect public health, restore coastal and fresh surface water quality, preserve community character and provide growth center infrastructure. The WIC’s goal is to address these wastewater issues in a manner that incorporates good science, appropriate technologies and acceptable legal and financial means of implementation.

The Committee’s major work areas to achieve this goal are:

• Information Assessment: The recent efforts of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project focus on developing maximum nutrient loads for a number of estuaries. WIC members will become familiar with the information being developed for their town in this or other relevant programs in order to assist in prioritizing locations within their respective towns for the implementation of wastewater management districts.
• Investigation of options for the formation of wastewater management districts: The WIC, with staff support will oversee the efforts outlined in the recent RFP to investigate the various options for establishing Wastewater Management Districts, and determine which are most appropriate for their towns.
• Outreach: Committee members are tasked with keeping their respective local boards and commissions informed regarding the activities of the WIC as they pertain to the specific needs of the towns.
• Technology Assessments: The WIC , with staff support, will identify the technologies that hold promise to treat wastewater at the various design-flow levels. This may involve site visits to various installation sites so that members can become familiar with various aspects of treatment-system operation that might raise public concerns (appearance, odors, operational noise, etc.). A compendium of this information will be compiled and maintained with staff support.
• Investigation of options for financing:The WIC through staff support and their own efforts and networking will investigate and identify various means for financing wastewater management options. Efforts will include becoming familiar with both present mechanisms for financing as well as any proposed legislation.

Members:

The Committee is comprised of members appointed by the County Commissioners presently including representatives from::

• >15 Cape Cod Towns - DPW, Board of Heath, or other town official
• Cape Cod Commission
• Barnstable County Department of Health and the Environment
• Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
• Department of Environmental Protection
• Cape Cod Basin Team
• Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod

Immediate Tasks

1. Select consultant to evaluate and recommend strategies for establishing wastewater management districts.
2. Select candidate case studies for wastewater management district project.
3. Land use screening analysis for siting wastewater facilities
4. Identification of wastewater management needs areas
5. Interim Measures

Regional Coordination with other efforts

• Outreach to local Boards of Health Selectmen
• Mass Watershed Initiative Grant to Cape Cod Commission
• Barnstable County Dept Health and Environment –on-site technical assistance
• Massachusetts Estuary Project
• Business Round Table
• Barnstable County Economic Development Commission
• Assembly of Delegates –County Supplemental Funds