APCC Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb
MASHPEE – Selectmen in Mashpee recently heard proposals regarding the improvement of the Santuit Pond’s water quality.
Department of Natural Resources Director Richard York outlined a plan of action to combat the algae bloom. A harmful summer bloom may arise if actions to remove bloom-inducing nutrients are not taken, York said.
“The idea here is to try to remove this bloom in the winter when it’s not toxic,” York said, “which will then take nutrients out of the pond.”
York presented several different options to alleviate the pond of harmful algae contaminants. Primarily, a short term goal is to drain some of Santuit Pond into nearby abandoned cranberry bogs.
This would allow for large amounts of water to be filtered through sand, leading for algae to be caught. Bogs also include pump systems, which could be utilized to pump out and treat more amounts of water.
The town would repeat this process with multiple bogs, potentially including an additional bog available for purchase.
“This bog system is just a great circumstance to have, because there’s a potential for significant removal,” York said.
“And it’s just a natural sand filter system. We’re lucky on Cape Cod to have natural sand.”
Another resolution proposed by York was the use of plankton nets. While effective–York said he recently used a plankton net to remove 95% of contaminants in a water sample and could get them all out with a finer net–the pond is 170 acres.
Public announcements via mail, TV, and the Internet could also be implemented to advise residents about the use of products containing phosphorous near the pond.
Conservation Agent Drew McManus said the goal is to begin bog flooding within the next two weeks.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
