The Tisbury board of health has decided that nitrogen seeping into the Lake Tashmoo and Lagoon Pond watersheds from home wastewater treatment systems is a scourge that must be dealt with immediately, and at whatever cost — to Tisbury property owners who live in the watershed.

Those of you paying attention to the finer workings of Tisbury municipal governance during the summer months will recall that in late June, the board held a series of three public hearings on new nitrogen regulations it proposed for the two watershed districts that would have imposed substantial fees on new developments, including additions and renovations. The proposed regulations would have required a homeowner in the watersheds to pay anywhere from $320 to $3,200 annually for 20 years to help pay for efforts to alleviate nitrogen loading.

As it turned out, some property owners, builders, and civil engineers were paying attention, most notably the eminently sensible Kent Healy of West Tisbury, who questioned the data underpinning the board of health’s nitrogen-control campaign and their hellbent-for-leather approach.

“If nitrogen is a problem in the estuaries, then make sure you know where it’s coming from, and make sure you know what you’re going to do about it,” Mr. Healy told The Times. “I don’t think public agencies should advocate spending money without some notion that it’s going to do us good.”

Board of health members Malcolm Boyd, Michael Loberg, and chairman Jeffrey Pratt have returned with another draft set of proposals that the board will present at a public hearing this Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 4:30 pm in the Emergency Services Facility. It will provide those who live in the watershed a first look and an opportunity to discuss the proposals.

The Tisbury selectmen meet the same night. It is reasonable to think town leaders Tristan Israel, Larry Gomez, and Melinda Loberg may have wanted to be present for a discussion of a proposal with significant financial impacts on town residents, but the board of health was unmindful of the scheduling conflict. The board of health has been vague on the question of presenting any new regs to voters for approval — which it is not required to do, but ought to.

Last we looked, the new draft regulations were not to be found on the town website, but were posted on the Martha’s Vineyard boards of health website, mvboh.org.

The new regulations would require a property owner to install an enhanced system based on one of four triggers: a new wastewater treatment system is required to serve a property (i.e., new construction); a property’s existing wastewater treatment system fails and replacement is necessary, as determined by the board of health; a property’s existing wastewater treatment system capacity is insufficient to handle any proposed additional development, as determined by the board of health; and a property is transferred to another owner and, based on a septic-system inspection, the board of health determines that a new system or system upgrade is necessary.

As Cameron Machell reports this week, depending on a number of circumstances, it could cost Islanders and seasonal residents who live in one of the two watersheds as much as $22,000 just to replace a current Title V system. Annual maintenance could cost as much as $2,000.

This is a lot of money for the average Island homeowner. Brian Howes of UMass Dartmouth’s School of Marine Science and Technology, one of the driving forces behind the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP), upon which the board of health hangs its hat, calls for a hybrid approach designed to keep costs down.

There must be a comprehensive approach, one that takes into account those emerald-green lawns ringing the water, the geese that have taken up year-round residence, and the Oak Bluffs share of the Lagoon.

We all agree that the quality of the water in our ponds is of vital importance, but before the board of health decides to impose new regulations, it must earn the confidence and support of all town residents. They are the ones who will shoulder this burden and reap the benefits.

SSA kept sailing

Did you notice? Despite high winds and rough seas, the Steamship Authority’s intrepid captains and crews kept the boats running for most of the day Monday, ceasing operations only as night approached.

There have been nicer days when boats were canceled, and inconvenienced Islanders grumbled and questioned why the boats had ceased to run. Monday was not one of them. The SSA did a good job under trying conditions, much to the relief of Island travelers and residents.