Reducing Excess Nutrients Research Pilot

• Environmental Challenges
• Partnerships and Project Focus
• Anticipated Results
• Pilot Project Research Activities
• Project Fact Sheets
• Project Publications

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Evaluating Non-Traditional Approaches for Reducing Excess Nutrients Entering Cape Cod's Coastal Waters

EPA is collaborating with partners and stakeholders in the Cape Cod region to explore ways of reducing the amount of nutrients, specifically nitrogen, entering the Cape's estuaries and freshwater ponds to protect coastal waters. Excess nutrients from human activities are an increasingly serious threat to estuaries, wetlands, and freshwater ponds nationwide, as they contribute to algae blooms; low dissolved oxygen; degradation of seagrass; impaired freshwater and estuarine ecosystems; and, in extreme cases, fish kills.

Environmental Challenges in the Cape Cod Region

Although nutrients, such as nitrogen, are a natural part of aquatic ecosystems, excess amounts can cause water systems to become polluted. Cape Cod has several unique characteristics that make its estuaries susceptible to impacts from excess nitrogen.

Due to the costs and challenges associated with widely distributed housing and large seasonal fluctuations in population due to summer tourism, centralized wastewater treatment plants are not widely used on Cape Cod. An estimated 80 percent of nitrogen loading on Cape Cod stems from the use of traditional backyard septic systems, which are not designed to remove it.

Nitrogen moves easily from the septic systems to the Cape’s groundwater, where it is transported to ponds, streams and estuaries. In addition, lawn fertilization, atmospheric deposition, and stormwater also contribute to excess nitrogen.

Partnerships and Project Focus

EPA scientists are partnering with the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition (BCWC), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), The Nature Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center and are engaging additional local and state stakeholders to examine ways to reduce excess nitrogen.

Anticipated Results

• Results will provide information needed on the effectiveness of alternative technologies for removing nitrogen from Cape Cod’s waters and to understand which solutions work best for the region.
• Results will ultimately be used to assist Cape Cod communities with evaluating the benefits and tradeoffs of implementing different nitrogen removal technologies.

Pilot Project Research Activities

Based on insights from an initial stakeholder engagement and problem formulation workshop, the collaborative research activities below have been started as part of the overall pilot project. Learn more about these activities and get updates