CHAPTER 8: PROJECT EVALUATION 



Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project Final Report Page 81 



transmitting many of the local recommendations to Cape communities and has 

 begun to pursue CCAMP findings through work with the towns of Chatham, 

 Truro and Provincetown. But no standard exists for measuring the success 

 of implementation efforts and no timetables have been set. Implementation 

 is an absolutely critical piece of this project; a clear implementation 

 strategy should have been developed at the project's initiation. 



One of CCAMP 's most important, least tangible, successes was in initi- 

 ating a joint, interagency, multi-level approach to groundwater protec- 

 tion. Each agency enjoyed real benefits from a close working association 

 between its staff and those of other agencies in terms of information 

 exchange, technical support, valuable future contacts, and insights into 

 another side of a particular issue. Because project participants are 

 in-house staff, not outside consultants, the institutional knowledge 

 gained can contribute on an ongoing basis in other areas. These associa- 

 tions with other agency staff also led to a number of cooperative spin-off 

 efforts. 



While stressing that coordination and communication were key benefits 

 of the project, it must also be noted that input and participation from 

 the local level was insufficient. There should have been regular partici- 

 pation of CCAMP committees with local officials in other communities on 

 particular topics. A greater degree of local involvement throughout the 

 project would also facilitate local implementation of CCAMP recommenda- 

 tions . 



8.1 CCAMP 's Future Directions 



At the close of the CCAMP project, the emphasis of the participating 

 agencies will turn towards the implementation of CCAMP 's recommendations 

 and to transmitting project findings to other areas that might benefit. 

 Agencies should also upgrade the focus in their groundwater programs on 

 public -outreach and intergovernmental -cooperative efforts based on CCAMP's 

 observations. There are also a number of issues that CCAMP identified as 

 important but was not able to address or could not address thoroughly. 

 These might become the topics of future projects. These include: 



1. More work on the relationship between private-well drinking 

 water quality and septic systems. A methodology should be devel- 

 oped to protect private wells through siting or other mecha- 

 nisms . 



2. An analysis of the economics of the issues covered by CCAMP. 



The costs associated with the implementation of groundwater -protection 

 programs should be determined. Cost figures would be helpful in weighing 

 alternative approaches and in appropriately estimating the resources 

 needed for implementation. A study should also be initiated investigating 



