182 



Kcsolulior Vi:0. No»tiT-.tjtr Zi,. 1^^ . 



l»s amtndftJ March 4, 1V?2, Kc-olulion yr-5i 



5. Work in close alliance wiUi the Barnstable County legislative delegation and local 

 £.c/£,mments to accomplish the objccnves stated herein. 



6. Barnstable County shall instruct the Federal and State Delegation to insist upon the 

 restoration of ic^crzl funding to the Boston Harbor clean up project prcvioush' allocated. 



Barnstable County believes that the MWRA should at a minimum, take the 

 following actions: 



1. Conduct a Far Field Monitoring Program. 



Cape Cod residents are concerned about the long term impacts of the MWRA 

 discharge on the environmental integrity of Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank. The 

 monitonng plan to be implemented should include a far field element adequate in scope and 

 magnitude to detect subtle environmental changes to the ecosystem, in particular the shallow 

 inshore areas and Stellwagen Bank, that might occur as a result of the MWRA discharge. 

 Analysis of the data should be reviewed by independent researchers. 



2. Agree on what obser%'ed trends and/or measured concentrations of contaminants will 

 trigger review and action by the MWRA and the regulator,' agencies. This should be done in 

 concen with state and federal regulator)' agencies and the scientific community, and should be 

 agreed to before the operation of the outfall. A schedule for taking remedial steps based on 

 observed trends and/or measured concentrations must also be prepared. 



Cape Cod residents should be confident that the results of the environmental 

 monitoring program will be used by decisionmakers. There should be a plan that delineates the 

 steps that will be taken if the trend continues and the remedial action(s) that would be 

 implemented to mitigate impacts. 



3. Develop a contingency plan that addresses an emergency shutdown of the MWRA 

 waste treatment facility. 



Cape Cod residents are concerned that once the MVvTL^ waste rreaimeni facility 

 outfall is in operanon, there will be no alternative means of treating and discharging waste 

 should there by any problems with the operation of the facility. Cape Cod residents are 

 concerned that there are no incentives to expedite repairs to the facilii\' in the event of a 

 breakdown, since the anitude is one of "the marine en\ironment can handle ;:." K-rVSTlA should 

 develop a contingenc\' plan that details the actions that will be taken in the event of a 

 malfunction at the facilit\' to bring the facility back on line as rapidh' as possible. MWRA 

 should develop incenti\'es to ensure peak performance of the v^'aste treatment facility. This 

 incentives program could result in fewer operational problems in the facility, and reduce the 

 likelihood thai the contingency- plan would have to be invoked. .At a minimum the operations 

 plan should be strictly enforced. 



4. Evaluate acceleration of the schedule for secondary' treatment of all of the estimated 

 volume of effluent. 



The MN\TLA sho'jld re\'ie\>.' its schedule for bringing full secondarj' treatment on line, 

 and prepare a repor. thai outlines the feasibilit>' of accelerating the schedule. This assessment 

 should include an evaluation of the most cosi-effecrive means of creating and waste considering 

 the enxironmental, engineering, and facilities planning issues relevant to the MWR.A system. 



5. Investigate and implement means of reducing the discharge volume and the level of 

 contaminants in the discharse further back in the treatment svstem. 



