Press
MASSTC in the News
We’re doing our best to make positive ripple effects wherever we go! Learn more about how we do that below.
In a letter being sent to the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, the town is urging the board to allow urine-diverting toilets to be installed and tested as part of the town’s pilot project.
The project is funded through a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) grant administered by the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Technology Center (MASSTC), but cannot begin without approval of the urine-diverting fixtures or a variance from the state board.
Currently, state law does not broadly permit urine-diverting fixtures for general use…
“The reason that we’re interested in pursuing urine diversion is because it is a potential strategy to supplement sewers and nitrogen-removal septic systems to meet our water quality goals,” Assistant Town Manager Peter K. Johnson-Staub said at the Monday meeting.
The town sees the pilot as a way to determine whether the technology could eventually be incorporated into its broader wastewater- and water-quality planning.
Because the pilot project is grant-funded, time is a concern for the Select Board.
The letter states that the project is “active and funded” but cannot move forward until the Plumbing Board allows the fixtures, putting the funding at risk.
When the select board questioned the town’s septic regulations at its Sept. 8 meeting, it wasn’t the board of health’s desire to remove cesspools that caused a stink. It was a rule that designates hundreds of lots “environmentally sensitive.” That designation will require them to upgrade to Innovative/Alternative (I/A) septic systems should their Title 5 units fail.
At that meeting, board member Jamie Demetri said the designation would place an undue burden on homeowners.
The high cost of I/A systems — $40,000 to $90,000, Mike Eldredge of Robert B. Our Co. said last month — is not just a worry in Eastham. It’s one for homeowners across the Cape.
Removing nitrogen from watersheds is a court-ordered priority for all Cape Cod towns, and I/A systems are a proven way to do it. But Brian Horsley, a researcher at the Mass. Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) in Falmouth, is pursuing an alternative.
Since joining the center in 2020, Horsley has been researching “eco-toilets” that trap waste in a tank and turn it into compost rather than allowing it to leach into the ground the way cesspools and Title 5 systems do. They’re cheaper to install than I/A systems, Horsley said, and may be comparable in their ability to reduce nitrogen output.
“If the only toilet you have in your house is composting, I would expect there to be 90 percent less nitrogen leaving that house than if you had conventional toilets,” Horsley said. “They perform as well as the best available nitrogen removing septic systems.”
WCAI reports on Urine diversion pilot project moving forward in Falmouth:
“After years of planning, work will soon be underway to install and test eco-toilets in 25 homes. The Falmouth Urine Diversion Project is officially underway. The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center is spearheading the effort, which will vet and enroll 25 households to test and monitor urine diversion fixtures. The pilot project aims to test out eco-toilets and urinals that collect urine and store it in a tank, rather than flushing it through a septic system. MASSTC Project Assistant Bryan Horsley said tanks could be installed in a home’s basement or buried outside. The project will reimburse participants up to $8,250 to install the technology in their home and agree to have the results monitored.”
“In a meeting room at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) Tuesday afternoon, a “mystery” urine-diverting toilet sat in the front of the room hidden under a white shroud.
The toilet remained covered during the presentation.
Hopeful participants for the urine-diversion pilot project signed a non-disclosure agreement to examine the prototype as they consider what toilet fixtures they will install in their homes. Although urine diversion is already a flourishing industry in Europe, urine-diverting toilets that meet American plumbing codes are a much newer concept. The prototype that was shown to participants who signed the non-disclosure agreement is not on the market yet.”
“After about four years of preliminary work, Falmouth’s first urine-diversion eco-toilet pilot project is nearly ready to get flowing.
Next week, homeowners from town who are interested in being part of the pilot project will meet at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) for a kick-off informational meeting.”
“Eighty per cent of the nitrogen pollution that we experience is because of on-site wastewater systems, and the majority of the nutrients entering those on-site systems are entering in the form of urine,” said Brian Horsley, the project assistant at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, in an interview last week”
Read here.
“Barnstable County celebrated the grand opening of the newly expanded Clean Water Center at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center in Sandwich Sept. 26. The ribbon cutting brought together local, state and federal officials alongside national and international partners to mark a new chapter in wastewater innovation and water protection on Cape Cod and beyond”
“On The Point, we talk with members of the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center about new programs, research and funding to tackle our wastewater problem- including a 2.8 million dollar grant from the Gates Foundation.”
“A Massachusetts Septic System Test Center two-year, 25-household urine-diversion pilot project is set to begin in spring 2026. Data from the pilot study will be used to support the claim for UD effectiveness, too.”
“The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC), a division of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, has received a $2.8 million grant from the Gates Foundation to establish the first US-based ISO 30500 testing platform for non-sewered sanitation systems—commonly known as ‘reinvented toilets.’”
“The United States is getting its first-ever certification site for alternative, non-sewered toilet systems, and it’s going to be on Cape Cod.”
“The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Technology Center (MASSTC) has received more than $416,000 from the state to test out urine diverting toilets in Falmouth. Urine diversion is a wastewater management method that could help address Cape Cod’s nutrient pollution problem. CAI’s Gilda Geist spoke with MASSTC project assistant Bryan Horsley to learn more about this pilot project, which has been years in the making.”
The Cape has received about $2.8 million dollars from the Gates Foundation to become a world player in advancing wastewater technologies. The Mass Alternative Septic System Test Center in Bourne will now certify non-sewered sanitation systems, commonly called ‘reinvented toilets,” for places where centralized sewers aren’t installed yet or aren’t feasible.
“Urine diversion is one of many alternatives the town could employ to reduce nitrogen in impaired watersheds. The pilot project is an important first step in making that a possibility, Heufelder said.”
“Barnstable County provides low- and no-interest loans to residents who need help paying to fix, replace or upgrade their septic systems, or hook up to municipal sewers. That loan program, called Cape Cod AquiFund, just got a $13 million cash infusion…AquiFund program manager Brian Baumgaertel thanked commissioners for securing the money.”
“Most Truro properties rely on Title 5 septic systems, which are effective at removing pathogens but inadequate at reducing nitrogen, a major pollutant in water bodies. Founded in 1999, MASSTC tests the Innovative Alternative (IA) and enhanced IA systems developed to address that problem.”
“On the southeastern edge of Joint Base Cape Cod, at an unassuming spot between the Francis A. Crane Wildlife Management Area and Otis Air National Guard Base, experimentation is taking place to develop more efficient wastewater management systems aimed at improving the natural environment and safeguarding public health.”
“…we’ll have Bryan Horsley from the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, or MASSTC, and he’ll be sharing updates about their work developing a pilot project with the town of Falmouth, and also working with Massachusetts regulators and other residents to incorporate urine nutrient recycling as a strategy in the watershed management plan.”
“The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center—or MASSTC—is a Barnstable County program that has done cutting-edge wastewater management research for the past 25 years. Now, with a $3.3 million infusion of state and federal funds, MASSTC is getting a major makeover.”
“MASSTC Director Brian Baumgaertel said the group will use the grant money to expand its facility, adding office and laboratory space, a workshop, and a small conference center for public outreach and job training.”
“Barnstable County will be the recipient of an almost $2 million grant from the state to expand and enhance its clean water center at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center.”
“The water quality management committee received more details on how the Septic Utility Program (SUP) would work from its manager, David Iorio Izzo, during its meeting on August 14. SUP is a program offered by the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Technology Center (MASSTC), through the county.”
“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.”
“Bryan Horsley led a highly informative discussion on one of the most damaging sources of pollutant, waste processing and disposal. With a background in environmental science and ecological preservation, Horsley is a project assistant at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center. Horsley began by highlighting the nutrient loading issue when algal blooms in freshwater are fed and exacerbated by nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, two elements found in abundance in human urine and fecal matter…”
“There is a joke among local wastewater professionals that says Cape Cod is headed for a “Sludgemageddon.” What’s that, you ask? Well, with all the talk about wastewater treatment, we are headed for a total blindside hit from this phenomenon: a situation where sludge disposal will have a large financial impact on municipalities, businesses and residents.”
“Environmental advocates are planning to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not regulating sludge.Sludge is the solid material that’s left over at the end of the wastewater treatment process.Treated sludge, (biosolids), is used as a fertilizer, but it contains the harmful ‘forever chemicals’ PFAS, which don’t break down and have been linked with cancer.”
“Your septic system will not be ignored. You may want to ignore it. It’s designed to be ignored—buried somewhere in your backyard, like a shameful secret or a mortal enemy who has mysteriously “disappeared.” But there is only one thing worse than personally interacting with your septic system and its component parts—the septic tank and leach field—and that is ignoring it.”
“There’s going to be bad smells. There’s going to be fish kills. There’s going to be a lot of algae getting entangled in your boat, in your propeller, in everything. And it’s not a nice view, you know…. So in a way, we’re decreasing the value of the land, which is precisely the same value that brought people here to enjoy an enjoyable summer.” The “yellow tide” under the Cape is rising. So…what is it?
Brian Baumgaertel, director of Barnstable County’s Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, said sewers are the “gold standard” for removing contaminants but aren’t right for every community.
“Here on Cape Cod, we have areas that are dense where sewering would make sense because it’s economical,” he said. “And then we have vast swaths of Cape Cod that are so sparse in population — or even moderate density — where the cost of running sewering pipe down the road in all of those neighborhoods is incredibly cost-prohibitive.”
“The purpose of the urine-diversion pilot project is to see whether this is a viable method for reducing nutrient pollution in Falmouth. Concerned residents have been calling for a pilot program like this for some time, and recently the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center submitted a proposal for such a program. Now, the committee is assessing that proposal as it works toward making a recommendation to the select board.”
“The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, or MASSTC, is a premier site for wastewater research located on Cape Cod.
“Some of their tests involve adding woodchips to septic systems to help remove nitrogen from the environment, but could those woodchips also be used to remove the “forever chemicals” PFAS from the waste stream?”Some of their tests involve adding woodchips to septic systems to help remove nitrogen from the environment, but could those woodchips also be used to remove the “forever chemicals” PFAS from the waste stream?”
“The Cape’s septic system test center pitched a urine diversion pilot project to Falmouth’s water quality management committee last Wednesday, August 30. The purpose is to assess the potential benefits of community-scale urine diversion as a way to reduce nitrogen pollution in coastal waters, caused mainly by wastewater flowing from septic systems.”
“The state and EPA have mandated that the Cape manage wastewater to prevent nutrient overload in our ponds, estuaries and embayments. Alternative septic systems and sewering are both expensive options. On The Point, we discuss another choice: urine diversion, or “no mix” toilets. They’re cheaper and provide free fertilizer. But will people go for them?”
“Communities have two years to opt into a permitting process. If they don’t, new septic systems in the watershed would be required to include enhanced nitrogen-reducing technology, and homeowners would be on the hook to upgrade existing systems within five years.
‘It’ll force those towns to move quicker on those plans than they may have originally thought,’ said Brian Baumgaertel, a senior environmental specialist at the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment….”
“If Falmouth Town Meeting approves money for a urine-diversion pilot project, then where—if not down the tubes—will the pee go? And who will be in charge of putting it to use? Enter the Massachusetts Advanced Septic System Test Center and Bryan Horsley, 42, the center’s resident eco-sanitation, or ‘ecosan’ enthusiast.”
“The pilot program will be conducted by the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, which outlined a proposal to the Water Quality Management Committee in May. The program must involve at least 50 Falmouth properties, which would provide data on urine volume, nitrogen and phosphorus content and gray water. Funds for the project would be appropriated by Town Meeting.”
County Senior Environmental Specialist Brian Baumgaertel joins Sunday Journal this week to discuss programs including the low-interest loan program “Aquifund” that can help replace aging systems, testing services, and combatting PFAS.
“We’re not looking to unnecessarily divert funding from sewering projects,” said Brian Baumgaertel, director of the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, a division of Barnstable County. “We are looking for the most economical and socially equitable solution to help fix what is a slow-moving environmental disaster.”
“Septic systems work well where homes are too sparse to justify expensive sewers and water treatment plants. About 95 percent of the Cape’s properties use them. But they don’t filter out nitrogen or phosphorus, which seeps into the groundwater and, eventually, bodies of water. Enter Mr. Baumgaertel’s outdoor laboratory of sewage management.“
“Outdated and environmentally unfriendly septic systems and cesspools are the norm on Cape Cod. Although most people would rather avoid the topic of where their waste goes after it has been flushed, the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center is not afraid to take on the issue directly.”
“The New England way of life depends on our water quality. Everything from our drinking water and food to recreation and the economy depends on healthy, clean water flowing from streams to our coasts and into the ocean. Unfortunately, the impacts of climate change and development are threatening the places we love and rely on.”
“The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center recently announced that testing conducted at the facility over the last three years has aided in the development of an award-winning sensor for measuring nitrogen discharges from innovative and alternative (I/A) septic systems.”
“The Massachusetts Estuaries Project found that septic systems are responsible for 80 percent of the controllable nitrogen load on Cape Cod. The authors of a 2012 Barnstable County Dept. of Health and Environment report noted, ‘Cape Cod’s designation as a sole source aquifer means that all drinking water sources are part of a contiguous groundwater supply that hydraulically connects wastewater discharge sites to drinking water sources.”
Want to help us keep MASSTC in the News?
Schedule an interview! Contact Communications Lead Amy DuFault by email at [email protected]
Learn more about MASSTC projects here.
