NEWS RELEASE
2005-23 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. —
Officials from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) will host a
meeting of the Ashumet Pond Nutrients Advisory Group (APNAG) on Thursday, August 25, 2005
at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Quashnet
Valley Country Club located at 309 Old Barnstable Road in Mashpee. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an update to the public on the initial results from monitoring the performance of the geochemical (iron) barrier installed in Ashumet Pond last September (2004). Mr. Jon Davis, Program Manager of the Installation Restoration Program stated, “The initial monitoring data collected from the barrier indicates that the barrier is removing phosphorus in groundwater from flowing into Ashumet Pond. We are looking forward to presenting the preliminary data to the public.” Results from on-going pond water quality monitoring, including monitoring of the 2001 alum treatment will also be presented at this meeting. Background information on the APNAG and MMR activities associated with Ashumet Pond, including the Ashumet Pond Geochemical Barrier for Phosphorus Removal Installation Summary Report, can be found on the MMR website, www.mmr.org. For more information about this project and meeting, please contact Mr. Douglas Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Lead, 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 was 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 entering 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 data from which helped scientists develop the
design for the full-scale iron barrier. Additional laboratory experiments performed
by scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth have also greatly helped
with the design of the barrier.
Details of the testing, design, and installation plans for 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) 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. The barrier installation was started in the first week of
August 2004 and was completed in approximately four weeks.
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