The Bourne Enterprise: Septic System Test Center Looks to Expand
When Brian Baumgaertal moved to Cape Cod from upstate New York 16 years ago, the problem of troubled waters was, by his own admission, “not so big.” Now, nearly two decades later, he says the problem is much more obvious.
“Cape Cod has a problem,” Mr. Baumgaertal said, “and it’s not that hard to find these days.”
Mr. Baumgaertel is the director of the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC), located on Joint Base Cape Cod. Mr. Baumgaertel, who is also a senior environmental specialist at the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, spoke during the the Military-Civilian Community Council’s meeting at the base on August 21. His comments were directed at the problems Cape Cod is facing with impaired waterways as a result of nutrients in wastewater that is flushed into lakes, streams and ponds.
Establishment of the state Title 5 regulations, he said, has resulted in the installation of septic systems to replace cesspools, which “are obviously worse.” The flip side, he said, is that, while septic systems are good for bacterial removal, they are not good at preventing the release of other items harmful to water quality.
“It’s not really good for removing nutrients from our wastewater, nitrogen and phosphorus,” he said, “the things that are causing all this mess. That doesn’t even address other sources like viruses, PFAS, pharmaceuticals and microplastics.”
Those nutrients, he explained, come from the urine people flush down their toilet, and which eventually make their way into the waterways. The results, he said, are fish dying off, endangered shellfish beds, nightmare toxic algae and poor water quality.
Finding solutions to the increasingly hazardous situation, Mr. Baumgaertel said, is the goal of MASSTC. Founded in 1999, it is a third-party testing facility for advanced onsite wastewater treatment technologies, he said, systems that “can play a role in addressing the Cape’s wastewater problems.”
“MASSTC was set up to find these technologies that are out there, bring them in, and put them to the test so we can find out the best ones,” he said, adding that the facility also provides companies with a place to conduct research and development.
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