FALMOUTH – The Falmouth Select Board recently announced that it has approved $80,000 to support outreach efforts for proposed urine diversion as part of a pilot project to aid the town in cleaning its waterways.
The project would entail recruiting up to 75 households to participate in diverting and collecting wastewater from urine rather than letting it flow into local waterways.
Supporters hope that through diversion and collection, the town could reduce the amount of harmful nutrients such as phosphorous entering the local ecosystem and thereby reduce harmful algae blooms and other related phenomena in regional estuaries.
Once collected, stored urine could be turned into useful fertilizer through pasteurization.
The funds are available through the American Rescue Plan Act and would support a range of recruitment efforts, feasibility assessments, and the organization of informational sessions for town residents.
If approved by vote on Monday’s Town Meeting, the project would then head to the Department of Environmental Protection for final approval, allowing the town to begin its search for households willing to participate in early trials of the project.
About Matthew Tomlinson
