About Estuaries

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What Are Estuaries?

Learn about estuaries, the problems facing them, and how you can help in the restoration process.
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Why Are Estuaries Important?

Explanation from the US Environmental Protection Agency
US EPA Web site

Massachusetts Regulations Relating to Estuaries

310 CMR 12, Coastal Wetlands Orders
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Related Links

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Estuaries and the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP)

Learn about estuaries, the problems facing them, and how you can help in the restoration process.
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Massachusetts Estuaries Project - Pilot Project

Protecting Coastal Waters through Watershed-Wide Permitting and Nutrient Trading in Three Massachusetts Estuaries, 2003 -2007
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Targeted Estuaries

A reference map and chart of towns and watersheds where restoration efforts are ongoing. Follow the watershed links to draft and final TMDL Reports.
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Eelgrass Maps

Sea grasses, including eelgrass, are a critical indicator of environmental health in coastal areas. These maps track the condition of eelgrass beds along the Massachusetts coast.
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Funding: Massachusetts Clean Water Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund is a competitive process for obtaining construction project financing for wastewater treatment projects in Massachusetts.
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Embayment Restoration and Guidance for Implementation Strategies

Word version (no graphics): MS Word 687 KB
PDF version (graphics): Report: PDF 2.04 MB | Appendices: PDF 1.02 MB

MassDEP Guidelines on Multi-town Collaboration

With the exception of Nantucket, every town in the MEP shares at least one estuary with one or more other towns. To restore the health of their estuaries, collaboration among all the towns in the watershed is important.
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Rebuilding Primary Coastal Dunes

MassDEP's Guidance for Homeowners & Conservation Commissions Relative to Storm Emergency Certification, May 2007
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MA Basic Building Code Revisions - May 2008

Revisions have been made to the 7th Edition of the State Basic Building Code that address the protection of coastal properties.
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Massachusetts Estuaries Project Interim Report on Site-Specific Nitrogen Thresholds for Southeastern Massachusetts Embayments: Critical Indicators

MS Word 275 KB | PDF 229 KB

Nitrogen Modeling to Support Watershed Management: Comparison of Approaches and Sensitivity Analysis

Executive Summary: PDF 174 KB
Full Report: PDF 4.7 MB

Cape Cod Comprehensive Regional Wastewater Management Strategy Development Project

Available as a PDF from the Cape Cod Commission's Website. See under "Wastewater" on this web page.
Cape Code Commission Web site

Nitrogen Pollution and Wastewater Management for Estuary Restoration on Cape Cod

Report from Three Bays Preservation group. The report, "Guidance Document for Understanding Nitrogen Pollution and Wastewater Management at Three Bays and Cape Cod," is available as a PDF from this website (see link on left-hand side):
Three Bays Preservation Web site

Report to Barnstable County on Planning, Administrative and Legal Tools to Improve Wastewater Management on Cape Cod

Report from the Cape Cod Commission.
Cape Cod Commission Web site

Reports from the School for Marine Science & Technology at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (SMAST)

SMAST is MassDEP's partner in the Estuaries Project. The following reports are hosted on the SMAST Web site.

Watershed-Embayment Model to Determine Critical Nitrogen Loading Thresholds for Stage Harbor, Sulphur Springs, Taylors Pond, Bassing Harbor, and Muddy Creek in Chatham, Massachusetts
SMAST Web site 

Related Information: Explanation of Land Use Loading Data for Chatham Estuaries
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Watershed-Embayment Model to Determine Critical Nitrogen Loading Thresholds for Popponesset Bay, Mashpee and Barnstable, Massachusetts
SMAST Web site

Watershed-Embayment Model to determine critical Nitrogen loading thresholds for the Quashnet River, Hamblin Pond, and Jehu Pond in the Waquoit Bay System of the town of Mashpee, Massachusetts
SMAST Web site 

Watershed-Embayment Model to determine critical nitrogen loading thresholds for Great/Perch Pond, Green Pond and Bournes Pond, Falmouth, Massachusetts
SMAST Web site

Natural Attenuation of Nitrogen in Wetlands and Waterbodies

Study of over 200 peer-reviewed and other publications to determine the degree of nitrogen attenuation by various wetland types for reducing watershed nitrogen loads that contribute to estuarine eutrophication.

Report
MS Word 394 KB | PDF 340 KB
Bibliography
MS Word 8.3 KB | PDF 4.6 KB
Spreadsheet listing of literature
MS Excel 137 KB | PDF 76 KB

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