NEWS RELEASE
2004-19 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. —Officials
from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) announced that the
installation of an iron barrier in Ashumet Pond will begin Monday, August 9, 2004.
The barrier will be installed in the northwest shoreline of Ashumet Pond to help
reduce the amount of phosphorus in groundwater that enters the pond from the Ashumet
Valley Plume near the state boat ramp in Falmouth.
Mr. Jon Davis, Program Manager of the Installation Restoration
Program stated, “As far as our research shows, this will be the nation’s first
large-scale iron barrier for treating phosphorus in a pond. We are excited that it
will help improve the health of Ashumet Pond. The knowledge that will be gained by
installing this project will help other communities that are looking to improve the health
of their ponds.” Installing an iron barrier in Ashumet Pond is only one part of
the overall strategy developed by AFCEE to reduce concentrations of phosphorus in the
pond, which can stimulate algae growth and deprive the pond of the oxygen needed for a
healthy ecosystem.
The barrier will be constructed with a mixture of excavated pond
bottom sediments and iron flakes in a two-foot thick section of the pond sediments.
Phosphorus flowing in groundwater through pond bottom sediments will stick to the
iron mixture, reducing the amount that enters the pond along its northwestern shore.
When completed, the barrier will be approximately 300 feet long and 40 feet wide.
The pond will continue to be monitored to further assess the effects of the iron
barrier, which is expected to trap the phosphorus for more than 20 years. Work will be conducted from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, with one half-hour allowed for equipment setup beginning at 6:30 a.m. The barrier installation work is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete. A silt barrier to be installed around the project will be marked, so that boaters will know where the work is being conducted. The boat ramp will remain open at all times during the barrier installation work.
Additional information on phosphorus reducing activities
associated with Ashumet Pond, including copies of the Town of Falmouth Order of
Conditions, Notice of Intent, Geochemical Barrier Work Plan, and the Ashumet Pond
Phosphorus Inactivation Report, can be found on the Massachusetts Military Reservation
website, www.mmr.org. For more information about this project, please contact Mr. Douglas Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Specialist, at (508) 968-4678, extension 2; fax (508) 968-4673; or e-mail doug.karson@brooks.af.mil. Background:
The installation of an iron barrier is part of the Air Force's
on-going effort to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the pond from the operation of
the former on-base wastewater treatment plant. Although the plant closed in 1995,
phosphorus has been traveling from the base in groundwater and discharging into the pond
through its bottom sediments. The first step in stopping the flow of phosphorus to the pond was closing the wastewater treatment plant. In 2001, an alum treatment was applied to reduce the amount of phosphorus released to the pond during summer months from its deep bottom sediments. Pond monitoring performed by scientists from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth during the past three years confirmed that the amount of phosphorus in the pond has decreased since the fall 2001 alum treatment. The iron barrier is a third step in reducing the flow of phosphorus that enters the pond. All these steps will reduce concentrations of phosphorus that can stimulate algae growth and deprive the pond of the oxygen needed for a healthy ecosystem.
During the past few years, small areas of the shoreline have been
treated with iron on an experimental basis, which have helped scientists develop the
design for a full-scale iron barrier. Additional laboratory experiments done by
scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth have greatly helped with the
design of the barrier.
Details of the installation plans and testing done to design the
iron barrier project were presented at a public meeting held on June 1, 2004 in Mashpee.
The meeting was well attended by pond area residents who responded positively to
the information presented. The meeting provided the first opportunity for public
input on construction of the iron barrier and related monitoring work.
Several permits were obtained from federal, state and town
agencies in order to install this barrier. The Falmouth Conservation Commission held
a public hearing on June 11, 2004 regarding this project, which provided the
public with an opportunity to comment on the project plans. In July, AFCEE received
an Order of Conditions (wetlands permit) was received from Falmouth. Permits for
performing the excavation of pond sediments were received from the Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in order to
perform this work. Announcements of public comment periods for these permits were
published in local newspapers and no public comments were received.
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