Oak Bluffs is preparing to unroll its 20-year comprehensive wastewater management plan, which will include upgrading its sewer system in an effort to clean nitrogen from local waterways.
The project could have a contractor by the end of the year, and Oak Bluffs officials are performing inspections around town in anticipation of the work.
Oak Bluffs voters approved allocating $26 million toward the town’s wastewater treatment facility during last year’s annual town meeting. In early August, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued a permit to upgrade the Oak Bluffs Wastewater Facility.
The request for proposals is currently open for the project’s first phase.
Some details, such as the cost of the expansion, are not set in stone yet.
Wastewater facilities manager Patrick Hickey told The Times that the current schedule is to receive project bids for the facility expansion by mid-November, with an anticipation the town will secure a contract by the end of the year.
“When the treatment facility is actually impacted, it might not be until after next summer,” Hickey said.
As part of this initial phase, Oak Bluffs wastewater facilities will be performing grease trap inspections over the next several weeks, to make sure businesses are in compliance. According to a letter sent by Hickey, the department plans to strictly enforce installations in an effort to avoid permit violations while the town is upgrading.
“The permit approval … has conditions, as the wastewater treatment process may be compromised during construction,” Hickey wrote. “For this reason, we are required to mitigate possible permit violations.”
Hickey told The Times that businesses will not incur additional costs for the inspections, and this was also an opportunity to remind business owners about proper procedures. “Piece by piece, you try to bring things up to standard,” he said.
Hickey said that what he’s essentially doing is enforcing rules that are already in the town’s bylaws. In particular, Hickey said, the town needs to reduce all forms of loads as a part of the conditions.
“There is a good amount of grease, especially in the summer,” he said. Hickey said improper grease traps can lead to grease buildup that could require an entire line to be ripped up.
When asked for additional information about the upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility, Hickey said the idea is to upgrade to a membrane bioreactor system, otherwise known as a MBR system. The system separates solids and liquids with microscreens before discharging treated effluent into the environment. While the upgrade construction takes place, the older plant will still be in operation, in case the startup of the new facility goes awry, or further testing is needed, and simply as a backup. “We have to stay operational while we do construction,” he said.
Hickey said a MBR system can last 10 years, according to manufacturers, but some have lasted around 20 years with good care. Hickey said that Bourne uses a MBR system, and that town had experienced issues with its system because of improper grease discharge.
Hickey said he is trying to speak with people now so they can be prepared for changes. “We’re trying to do it so by the time we have the new facility online, it’s not an issue anymore,” he said.
Oak Bluffs Wastewater Commission chair Gail Barmakian said improvements to the wastewater facility’s treatment capacity will allow the town to extend sewer lines to homes near vulnerable watersheds.
This isn’t the first comprehensive wastewater plan Oak Bluffs has undergone, according to Barmakian. A plan needed to be made for the current wastewater treatment facility around 19 years ago, and there were different criteria on how to distribute flow.
“At the time of that plan, nitrogen wasn’t on [Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s] radar,” Barmakian said, adding that the comprehensive wastewater plan in the works was more mindful of environmental concerns, especially nitrogen removal.
As a part of nitrogen removal efforts, innovative/alternative septic systems, also called I/A systems, will be a part of the management plan. Some homes already have Title 5 septic systems, which comply with state laws for a certain level of treatment, but primarily control bacteria. “Title 5 doesn’t do much for nitrogen,” Barmakian said.
Some estimates suggest upgrading to an enhanced septic system can cost as much as $45,000. The numbers are still being crunched on how much the new management plan will cost the town, and individuals who need a septic improvement when it is implemented, according to Barmakian.
Oak Bluffs officials will also need to look into other funding possibilities, and how the town is expected to change, such as population shifts or zoning amendments. There are also steps for updates within the plan. “It’s a document, but it’s a flexible document,” Barmakian said.
The management plan is currently undergoing a Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act public review process, which is needed before final approval from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, according to Barmakian.
The comprehensive wastewater management plans addressing contaminated bodies of water stem from the Clean Water Act.
“We are all in violation of the Clean Water Act,” Barmakian said.
The Conservation Law Foundation refiled litigation against the town of Barnstable over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act earlier this year. This lawsuit was initially dismissed in July 2022 by a federal judge.
The state has also been pushing for municipalities to address unclean waterways, finalizing new septic regulations for Cape Cod towns in June to reverse years of nitrogen pollution. More recently, WCVB reported that Gov. Maura Healey is expected to sign a tax relief bill on Wednesday, Oct. 4, that will boost the $6,000 tax credit for septic upgrades to a maximum of $18,000.
How about PFAS monitoring of both the water and solid waste. That water has to go somewhere. The solids have to go somewhere as well. Let’s get this out in the open. Board of health. Where are you? Please make sure you are looking into this. You can’t let this stuff contaminate out water source. Expand away but please protect us.
The article states that Oak Bluffs is preparing to unroll its 20-year comprehensive wastewater management plan, that includes a brand-new MBR treatment facility that’s going to last for 10 years, maybe longer for a cost of $26 million.
I hope this is a mistake and that the MBR Technology (this technology was introduced in the 1960’s) will last a minimum of 20 years as all other technologies do.
As for PFAS monitoring, the state has been issuing permits with monitoring in it and Oak Bluffs will soon be doing the same. The real shocker will be once people realize the cost of getting rid of a chemical designed to last forever!