CCTC Statement on Section 208 Water Plan

On November 19, 2014, the Cape Cod Technology Council submitted the following comment to the Cape Cod Commission:

The Cape Cod Technology Council, Inc. (“the Technology Council”) welcomes the opportunity to offer comments on the public Draft Section 208 Cape Cod Area Wide Water Quality Management Plan Update (“the Draft 208 Plan”) released by the Cape Cod Commission. Since its inception, the Technology Council, through its Infrastructure Committee, has analyzed infrastructure issues affecting Cape Cod and advocated for the incorporation of state-of-the-art technology into infrastructure solutions. Of particular relevance to its review of the Draft 208 Plan, in 2011 the Technology Council urged the development of a Smarter Barnstable County Government that employs a new broadband civic infrastructure and provides government services in more agile, productive, and flexible ways.2 The development of the Draft 208 Plan and proposed solutions suggested by the Commission are consistent with the Technology Council’s vision of a Smarter Barnstable County Government. Accordingly, the Technology Council urges adoption of the Draft 208 Plan.

As a starting point, the Technology Council agrees that nitrogen loading of the Cape Cod watersheds and the resulting degradation of coastal water quality threaten the environmental, societal, and economic health of this community. The logic of addressing solutions now and regionally is compelling.

In developing the Draft 208 Plan, the Cape Cod Commission devoted significant resources, including web-based games, to maximize stakeholder engagement. Beyond that, the Commission has developed information and the tools described in the Draft 208 Plan’s technologies matrix that offer new, less expensive wastewater treatment options for communities to consider. In addition, the Commission proposes to collect and make available data that will not only better enable Cape communities to address nutrient management, but will also contribute to the development of innovative technologies.

In short, the Technology Council considers the Draft 208 Plan to provide appropriate guidance for addressing existing nitrogen loading and a basis for the Cape becoming a leader in innovative nutrient management for coastal communities.

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