The town of Bourne in conjunction with the Buzzards Bay Coalition are proposing an outfall pipe in the west end of the Cape Cod Canal that will drain a multi-town effort to rectify sewerage issues throughout the Buzzards Bay watershed. A group of concerned citizens and former selectmen have formed a coalition of their own, Save The Cape Cod Canal Committee, which opposes the outfall pipe and rejects the science put out by the Buzzards Bay Coalition.
In short, the science states that the aggressive currents of the Cape Cod Canal will flush the highly-treated water out of the Canal and into open water, the Canal Committee claims that the science is incomplete and contends that the outfall water will swirl with the tides and, ultimately, end up on the beaches and shorelines of the Canal region as well as findings its way into sensitive estuarine waters with the potential to change the ecosystem there.
Wastewater reform is an important subject as many area towns run on systems that would be considered illegal and damaging today, making an effort to bring the region up to current-day standards is a great thing, but deciding where all that treated water goes is not going to be an easy task. The Canal is a favored location because of its immense tidal flow, but many consider the Canal region to be one of the crown jewels of Cape Cod and when you voluntarily pump treated sewerage into the waterways that define that region—there’s going to be blowback.
The Canal is the premiere destination in the Northeast for striped bass fishing and anglers worry that a constant flow of treated fresh water into the sanctified waters of the Canal could affect the fishing. The 4.5-mile, 12.5-inch wide pipe would constantly spew treated wastewater coming from the towns of Bourne, Buzzards Bay, Wareham, Marion and others, it would also provide relief for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy whose wastewater needs have increased as enrollment continues to rise.
The Save The Cape Cod Canal Committee is promising a one-two punch at the special session town meeting set for November 15 in Bourne and it may prompt a secret ballot vote to accept the proposal or strike it down before it leaves the runway.
