BARNSTABLE – Federal funding for a proposed machine gun range on Joint Base Cape Cod was not part of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress recently.
Money for it was initially proposed as part of the Senate version of the bill, but it was ultimately removed reportedly due to pending authorization for the project by the EPA.
Mark Forest, Chairman of the Barnstable County Commissioners, has stated the proposed range training activities could be a threat to the upper Cape water supply reserve.
“There’s been a pretty strong letter writing campaign against this project, and I think quite frankly the opposition has been so significant, I don’t think there is any real dispute about the need to find another venue to do this type of training,” Forest said.
The area of the proposed range is where most of Cape Cod gets their drinking water, said Forest, and the water from that area also feeds into hundreds of lakes and ponds.
Located at the crown of the Sagamore Lens, which is an underground water reservoir, Forest says it is the largest drinking water supply on Cape Cod and the commissioners among other organizations have been fighting against pollution to that reserve since 2001.
“What we need to do is to protect the water supplies that have not been contaminated. Those supplies are very much originating and drawing water from this reserve,” said Forest.
Joint Base officials have previously state that the range would not pose a threat to the local environment or drinking water and that it would cut down on costs for necessary training.
About Zachary Clapp
