REPORT IS RELEASED ON OPINIONS OF PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE AREY’S POND WATERSHED CONCERNING WATER QUALITY AND NITROGEN LOADING IMPACTS

 

Orleans, Massachusetts       The Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance today released a report on a survey of property owners within the Orleans portion of the Arey’s Pond watershed.  The survey findings are a part of a watershed management demonstration project being undertaken by the Alliance in cooperation with the Friends of Arey’s Pond, Inc.

 

The objective of the survey is to examine the opinions of property owners within the Orleans portion of the watershed of Arey’s Pond regarding excessive levels of nitrogen in the Pond.  Respondents were questioned on their use of the Pond and the adjacent Namequoit River, any observed changes in natural resources or uses on the water, their concerns about excessive nitrogen levels, and their willingness to take steps to address the problem.

 

“As a community we need to decide what level of water quality in the pond we want to protect,” said Gussie McKusick, Chairman of the Orleans Board of Health, and a founder of the Friends of Arey’s Pond.  “What we have learned from the survey is that property owners rely heavily on the health of these resource areas and are interested in learning more about how to protect them from the impacts of excessive nitrogen,” Mrs. McKusick said.

 

Among the key findings in the report are:

 

¨      Nature viewing is the primary use of either Arey’s Pond or the Namequoit River, while Observing nature and Accessing the water were the most highly valued uses of Arey’s Pond and the Namequoit River, respectively

¨      A larger percentage of property owners place a high value on Shellfishing and Fin Fishing than actually participate in these activities in either the Pond or the Namequoit River, suggesting that activities can be important to residents even if they themselves do not participate.

¨      Arey’s Pond and the Namequoit River are also heavily used by property owners for boating.  Increased boat usage was the most frequently cited observation among respondents for either water body.

¨      The majority of responding property owners are concerned about the nitrogen level in Arey’s Pond (85%), would support policies that would result in a decrease in nitrogen levels over time (86%) and feel a responsibility as a property owner in the area to help reduce levels of nitrogen (81%). 

¨      Forty-eight percent of responding property owners would be willing to modify their septic system to enhance its ability to remove nitrogen and thirty-six percent are unsure if they are willing to do so.

¨      Almost all responding property owners would be willing to read materials sent to their home on this issue. Over half would be willing to have an audit done on their septic system at no cost and attend local informational meetings.  Sixteen percent would be willing to participate in a committee to explore options on this issue.

 

Surveys were mailed out to 466 property owners in mid-November.  More than 20% of the surveys were completed and returned, which is twice the average response rate for a survey of this type.  More than half of respondents are year-round residents and one-third are seasonal residents.  More than half of the respondents have owned their property for ten or more years, only six percent rent all or a portion of their house to others. 

 

            “Knowing what the community thinks about water quality and nitrogen management in an area like Arey’s Pond is critical to our being able to develop workable nitrogen management solutions,” said George Meservey, Orleans’ Director of Community Planning and member of the Alliance’s Technical Resource Committee.  “Our next step is to integrate these community opinions with data on land uses and other current conditions.  From there we can work with the community to identify specific management strategies.”

           

            A nitrogen loading study conducted in 1998 by the Cape Cod Commission for the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Plan identified Arey’s Pond as being among the water bodies with excessive nitrogen levels due to limited tidal flushing and dense surrounding development.  The high level of nitrogen is of concern because of potential negative impacts on water quality and marine life in the Pond, the adjacent Namequoit River and the entire Pleasant Bay system.  In light of these concerns the Alliance obtained funds from the Cape Cod Commission to undertake a demonstration project for the Arey’s Pond. The project will combine information from the property owners’ survey with data on land uses, and water quality conditions to identify potential nitrogen management strategies.  It is hoped that the methodologies developed of the demonstration project will be replicated in other watershed within the Pleasant Bay system. 

 

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The Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance is a cooperative effort among the Towns of Orleans, Chatham and Harwich to preserve the natural resources and public enjoyment of Pleasant Bay.

May 19, 2000

 

Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance Launches

Citizen Water Quality Program

 

Volunteers from the towns surrounding Pleasant Bay will collect the first samples for the Pleasant Bay Citizen Water Quality Program on Monday morning, May 22^nd. 

Trained volunteers will collect samples at sixteen locations throughout the Bay once per month from May through October, a schedule that will be repeated annually.       

 

            The water quality monitoring program is an outgrowth of the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Plan approved by the towns of Orleans, Chatham and Harwich in 1998.  The plan cites the lack of water quality data as a serious gap in the information needed to effectively manage the Bay’s natural resources, and public use of the Bay waters and shoreline.  

 

“The program will generate comprehensive and consistent information on water quality conditions throughout the Bay,” said Dr. Robert Duncanson, Chairman of the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance Technical Resource Committee.  “Reliable water quality data is fundamental to many of the actions recommended in the resource management plan,” Dr. Duncanson said.

 

The Alliance has developed the program in concert with the Orleans Marine Water Quality Task Force, the Chatham Water Watchers, the Chatham Water Quality Laboratory and the Harwich Natural Resources Office.  Representatives from the Alliance and local groups worked with water quality scientists from the National Park Service, Cape Cod Commission, and Waquoit Bay Estuarine Research Reserve to design the baywide program.

 

“This program has been made possible by many dedicated volunteers and technical experts and by the generous financial support we have received,” said R. Bruce Hammatt, Jr., Chairman of the Alliance Steering Committee.  The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and the towns of Orleans, Harwich and Chatham have provided funding for the program.  Recently the Friends of Pleasant Bay, Inc. contributed $10,000 toward the program.  

 

Samples collected by volunteers will be taken to the laboratory at the Center for Marine Science and Technology at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.  Laboratory results will be compiled and analyzed by the Alliance and reported to the towns and to the general public. 

NOTE:  Media outlets interested in sending a photographer to a monitoring location should contact Carole Ridley and leave a phone number where they may be reached over the weekend.

 

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The Pleasant Bay Resource Management Alliance is a cooperative effort among the Towns of Orleans, Chatham and Harwich to preserve the natural resources and public enjoyment of Pleasant Bay.

September 18, 2000

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Pleasant Bay Alliance Launches Intertidal Habitat Program:

Innovative Study will assess the variety and health of the Bay’s Intertidal Resources

 

          Harwich, Massachusetts. This week a team of marine scientists has set out for the tidal flats of Pleasant Bay as they begin work on an Intertidal Habitat and Sediment Assessment Study. The project is the first phase of a comprehensive inventory and monitoring program for habitats within the Pleasant Bay estuary recommended by the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Plan.

 

“This is an innovative project and an important one for the Bay,” said Dawson Farber, IV, Orleans’ Harbormaster and Shellfish Constable.  “ Right now we do not have a complete understanding of the variety of intertidal areas and the species that inhabit or utilize these areas,” Mr. Farber said.  “Shellfishing is just one of the many values intertidal areas hold for the community.  I believe it is essential that we further develop our understanding of these areas and begin to monitor their health overtime,” Mr. Farber said.

 

As part of the study the team of scientists will evaluate atmospheric “drivers” such as winds, tidal flushing and currents to determine significant patterns in the formation of intertidal areas.  Through a series of on-the-ground and in-the-water surveys they will classify the various types of intertidal habitats in terms of sediment type, vegetative cover and resident populations of macroinvertebrates, birds, horseshoe crabs and shellfish. The third part of the study is the design of an on-going monitoring program to detect significant changes or threats to habitat types. 

 

Information generated from the project will be used by local officials to evaluate and manage competing uses of tidal flats, and will also provide baseline data needed to design a longer term project to monitor the health of the Bay’s habitats. Research findings will be relied upon to develop guidelines for citing public and private shellfish aquaculture projects, evaluate the impacts of shorelines structures (e.g. docks, revetments) on intertidal habitats, develop fisheries management strategies, monitor trends in the horseshoe crab population, and protect the migratory fly-way. 

 

The eighteen-month study will be conducted by Capella Consulting Group of Woods Hole and Marine Research, Inc. of Falmouth, a partnership with more than thirty years professional experience in the assessment, monitoring and management of coastal environmental systems.  “Pleasant Bay represents one of the unique environmental systems on the East Coast of the United States,” said R. Jude Wilber, President of Capella Consulting Group.  “In many ways this project holds the potential as a national model for the assessment and on-going monitoring of intertidal areas.” Dr. Wilber said. 

 

            The Alliance is grateful for the generous financial support it has received for this project from the Sudbury Foundation, Inc., and the Edward Bangs Kelley and Ezra Kelley Foundation, Inc.  The Alliance communities of Orleans, Chatham and Harwich are providing additional funding for the project.