Staff Spotlight: Sara Wigginton — Deputy Director of Wastewater Division / MASSTC Program Manager
Cape Cod’s water quality is one of its most valuable resources, and improving it requires practical, science-based solutions. At the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) and the newly expanded Barnstable County Clean Water Center, Sara Wigginton plays a key role in developing and testing the technologies that help protect our estuaries, ponds, and drinking water.
Sara joined Barnstable County in 2021 after completing her Ph.D. in wastewater microbiology at the University of Rhode Island. Today, her leadership helps ensure that Cape Cod remains a national and international leader in clean water innovation, advancing practical solutions that benefit both our environment and our communities.
As the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Program Manager and Deputy Director of the Barnstable County Wastewater Division, Sara oversees research and real-world testing of innovative onsite wastewater treatment systems. Her work focuses on solutions that reduce nitrogen and phosphorus, which drive harmful algal blooms and environmental decline in Cape Cod’s estuaries and freshwater ponds.
In addition to her work at MASSTC, Sara helps oversee operations at the Clean Water Center, the County’s newly expanded hub for wastewater innovation. The Center will include upgraded laboratories, a training facility, space for prototyping new technologies, and the capacity to test systems to international standards. It brings together local partners, state and federal agencies, and global organizations to advance affordable, effective wastewater solutions.
MASSTC and the Clean Water Center support everything from hands-on technology development to workforce training and community education, helping towns access tools that can strengthen watershed protection efforts across Cape Cod.
Sara and the MASSTC Team are focused on helping Cape Cod communities access better tools to protect local waters, supporting a future where onsite wastewater systems are part of the solution to restoring estuaries, safeguarding ponds, and keeping our environment healthy.
