Mark Your Calendars
Wastewater
Management Districts
Wastewater
issues are now taking center stage in many towns along coastal
Massachusetts. While people have
identified problems arising from wastewater, few have decided upon and
implemented the solutions. Giving
people the latest information on wastewater management districts is the goal of
two workshops to be held in March. The
workshops are scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at the Cape & Islands Association
of Realtors Conference Center in Yarmouth from 9:00 to 4:30, and then repeated
the following day at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s
Lakeville office.
Highlights
of the workshops include presentations by Dr. Karen Mancl of Ohio State
University, who will give overviews of the wide range of wastewater management
districts around the country, their advantages and disadvantages, and some of
her research into keys for successful wastewater management districts. John Giorgio, Esquire, of Kopelman and
Paige, will explain the Massachusetts legal framework for establishing these
districts and Pio Lombardo of Lombardo and Associates will discuss funding
issues. Regulatory aspects will be discussed
by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Thursday
workshop will feature a discussion of Cape Cod issues by the Cape Cod
Commission. Case studies from
Gloucester, Massachusetts and Stinson Beach, California are included in the
program, along with numerous examples by the other speakers.
There is no charge for the workshops. Pre-registration is requested. The sponsors encourage town officials, including selectmen, councilors, managers, administrations, boards of health, health agents, and public works personnel to attend. Contact the Waquoit Bay NERR (508-457-0495) and speak with Laurie Tompkins (x 108) if you need more information or to register for the workshop. A brochure with a detailed agenda will soon be available on-line at www.waquoitbayreserve.org. The workshops are sponsored by the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Cape Cod Commission, and Falmouth Associations Concerned with Estuaries and Salt Ponds (FACES).
AGENDA
Wastewater Management District Workshop
March 21 – Cape & Islands Association of Realtors Conference Center, Yarmouth
March 22 – Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Lakeville
9:00 – 9:20
A brief background and insight into the relevance of wastewater management.
9:20 – 10:20
Speaker – Dr. Karen Mancl, Ohio State University
Dr. Mancl will present an overview of the wide range of wastewater management districts around the country and discuss circumstances where WMD make sense.
10:20-10:30
Dr. Karen Mancl, Ohio State University
10:30-11:30
Dr. Mancl will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of wastewater management districts, and highlight some of her research into keys for their success.
John Giorgio, Esquire of Kopelman & Paige
Mr. Giorgio will discuss the legal requirements for forming special use districts by municipalities under Massachusetts law, and also the legal requirements for intermunicpal agreements. He will also provide examples of several approaches used by municipalities in Massachusetts to create wastewater management districts.
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch
Brian Dudley, MA DEP
1:15 – 1:30
Mr. Dudley will discuss the development of wastewater management district guidance by the MA Department of Environmental Protection.
Why Cape Cod?
Ed Eichner, Cape Cod Commission
1:30 – 2:00 (Thursday only)
Where can a WMD be adopted on Cape Cod? Mr. Eichner will explore the possibilities and the likely objections. Learn about regional wastewater planning and the Embayments Program.
Pio Lombardo, P.E., Lombardo and Associates Inc.
2:00 – 2:45
Learn what financial options are available including the traditional sources of government grants/loans and municipal bond financing as well as innovative techniques such as lease finance and potential private-public partnerships. Mr. Lombardo will also discuss user charges implications of these finance options.
2:45 – 3:00
3:00 – 3:45
Mr. Ottenheimer will present highlights of Gloucester’ program along with data regarding the inspection and management of on-site systems.
3:45 – 4:30
Richard Dinges, Stinson Beach County Water District
Mr. Dinges will discuss
the history and current operations of Stinson Beach Wastewater Management
Program including the permitting schedule, plan check, record keeping,
inspection criteria, personnel hours required and annual operating costs. He will also discuss the current systems in
use and take a look to the future with an alternative community system (Step
System).