Updated Dec. 12
A countywide initiative aimed at restoring impaired Island ponds by mitigating nitrogen-loading has cut its first two checks to Island homeowners looking to upgrade their septic systems.
Projects in Edgartown and Tisbury each received funding to help pay for upgrades to septic systems with nitrogen-removing technology.
The Dukes County Commission, tasked with the management and distribution of more than $3 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, had been working for almost two years on crafting spending guidelines for Island towns.
Last year, commissioners decided that allocating its $3.66 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 2021 funds toward nitrogen mitigation would be the best use of the resource.
Island water pollution caused by excess nitrogen runoff is exacerbated by an increase in population, the county’s project manual reads: Reports for Island ponds “have concluded that the combined annual estuarial load of controllable nitrogen coming from properties must be reduced by significant amounts to satisfy the nitrogen standards in the Federal Clean Water Act and remain sustainable water resources.
“This program seeks primarily to protect the public health by mitigating nitrogen toxicity in island ponds, while moving toward compliance with applicable water-quality standards relating to controllable nitrogen.”
Earlier this year, the Martha’s Vineyard Airport and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission had both been awarded portions of the county’s COVID-19 federal relief funds — also for wastewater management projects.
The remaining $1.44 million, made available through, and distributed as grants by Dukes County, has been earmarked to assist homeowners making improvements and installing septic systems with enhanced nitrogen reduction components Islandwide.
With help from the Island boards of health, the commission’s coordinating committee will sift through grant applications, and be charged with final project approval.
Each board of health has determined a subsidy cap on awardees, and has been granted a portion of the ARPA funds, which will all go toward two individual septic improvements: Edgartown ($315,000), Oak Bluffs ($315,000), Tisbury ($315,000) West Tisbury ($180,000), Chilmark ($135,000), Aquinnah ($90,000), Gosnold ($45,000), and tribal properties ($45,000).
Homeowners can choose to apply for two separate programs: one that subsidizes costs of designing an individual nitrogen-mitigating system, and one that reimburses homeowners for costs associated with the installation of a new one, after receiving plan approval from the local board of health.
Property owners with an existing, functional Title V septic system may also choose to apply for the installation of the nitrogen-reducing component only.
Using guidelines laid out by the county, Island boards of health will determine property owners’ eligibility for the program, but the final approval will be decided by a county subcommittee.
According to the guidelines, homeowners’ eligibility is determined by several factors: They must have an income of no higher than 240 percent of the area median income, and their property should be located in a watershed that’s already been deemed impaired. Homeowners must choose from a list of preapproved technologies, engineers, and installers, and provide signed contracts to their board of health within 90 days of receiving the funding.
So far, two applications seeking funding for the installation of new systems have been fully approved, one in Edgartown and the other in Tisbury, county manager Martina Thornton says.
In Tisbury, the board of health signed off on a $35,000 subsidy, while Edgartown’s board recommended $51,000. For the Edgartown project, the grant covered roughly 60 percent of the total costs of installation; county officials say that quotes are likely to vary depending on a number of factors, including project complexity and local installation costs. The county office encourages homeowners interested in applying for a grant to find out more about costs of installation for their specific property.
More information about the program, and how to apply, can be found on the Dukes County website, or through the local boards of health.
Corrections have been made to clarify program eligibility.