In 2003, MassDEP received a multi-year grant from EPA to develop guidance for MEP communities on technical and institutional nitrogen reduction strategies. A roadmap for changes in state policy and regulation to support innovative nitrogen reduction strategies that would include watershed-based permitting and nutrient trading was also to be developed as part of this grant.
Three pilot estuaries that represented a wide range of conditions were targeted for assistance through this grant: Popponesset Bay (Mashpee, Barnstable, and Sandwich), Three Bays (also Mashpee, Barnstable, and Sandwich), and Pleasant Bay (Chatham, Harwich, Orleans, and Brewster).
The final report was submitted to EPA and published in November 2008. The following sections are provided as reference points to the document.
For a complete copy of the report: "Inter-municipal Watershed Planning & TMDL Implementation to Restore Embayment Water Quality on Cape Cod: Three Case Studies of Towns Sharing Coastal Watersheds" please contact George Zoto, George.Zoto@state.ma.us.