Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program

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News, Features, and Information for Buzzards Bay and the NEP

Head of Westport Stormwater Treatment Project Moving Forward

The Buzzards Bay NEP is partnering with the Town of Westport and the Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) to develop stormwater solutions for the East Branch of the Westport River. In the Spring 2007, the BBNEP awarded of the Town of Westport $15,000 in engineering support to develop costs for this site and began working with the town to develop conceptual plans and strategies. In 2008, the town settled on a conceptual strategy for its properties (the middle school and library). Click to learn more about the Head of the Westport River Stormwater Project.

Municipal Grants Announced

On March 11, 2008 Buzzards Bay NEP, through Energy and Environmental Affairs, awarded six Buzzards Bay watershed communities over $104,000 in state and federal funds to assist interested Buzzards Bay watershed municipalities implement recommendations contained in the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Go to our funding page for more information and to read the press release.

New Barnstable County Report on Nitrogen Removal Wastewater System Performance

The Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment has issued an important report on the performance of nitrogen removal onsite systems on Cape Cod. It is titled "Performance of innovative alternative onsite septic systems for the removal of nitrogen in Barnstable County, Massachusetts 1999-2007" Go to our MASSTC web page to learn more.

Please review our new Wetlands Protection Action Plan

We are updating our Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for Buzzards Bay, and we need your help. Our landmark management plan was written in 1991, and needs to be updated. This original plan was a great success. More than 60% of the recommendations were achieved, and substantial progress was made on many others. The adoption of the CCMP in 1992 led to many new initiatives, especially at the state and local level of government. Nonetheless it is clear that this management plan must be updated. Not only have new issues arisen in the environmental protection landscape, but new laws, regulations, and agency programs have been established that make the need for this update clear. We are now developing a new management plan that will include new goals, objectives, and recommendations to meet the environmental needs of Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed into the next decade and beyond. This new document will also meet the requirements for an EEA-approved Watershed Action Plan, which will enable new funding opportunities through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Our new Draft Protecting Wetlands and Coastal Habitat Action Plan (#9) is ready for review and feedback. We have set up a feedback form to allow you to comment and rate as many or as few recommendations as you like. Go to our New CCMP Protecting Wetlands and Coastal Habitat Action Plan to learn more, and to submit your comments and suggestions.

1980s Historical Eelgrass GIS Coverage Posted

On our eelgrass page we have posted links to download GIS data showing the distribution of eelgrass mapped in Buzzards Bay during the 1980s. In most of Buzzards Bay, eelgrass reached it post-1930s wasting disease peak abundance in this decade. In the coming weeks we plan on disturbing new GIS coverages, maps, and georeferenced aerial photographs showing eelgrass abundance in the 1940s, 1960s, and 1970s for selected parts of Buzzards Bay.

Massachusetts Estuaries Project reports for Buzzards Bay

Reports for West Falmouth Harbor and Phinneys Harbor / Back River complex were released during this past year. Later this fall, DEP will release New Bedford Harbor, Wareham River, and the Slocums River / Little River estuary complex. We will post links and highlights as they become available.

Hot Topic: Wind Farms Proposed for Buzzards Bay

Looking for information about the South Coast Offshore Wind Project? Read about meetings, and the information we posted about a similar 2002 proposal for Buzzards Bay that explains many of the regulatory and environmental issues that would need to be addressed for siting wind turbines in Buzzards Bay on our Wind Farms page. Have you noticed a windmill to the south as you have crossed the Bourne Bridge? We have a photo of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy wind turbine that began operation in 2006, as well as information on the water turbines proposed for Vineyard Sound.

Other Popular Pages and Downloads

WETLAND LOSS MAPS available for viewing.
We have updated our wetland loss page to include new maps we produced based on DEP's wetland change maps sent to Buzzards Bay municipalities in 2004. Click the link to read more.

Bouchard No. 120 Oil Spill in Buzzards Bay
On April 27, 2003, an oil barge, carrying 4.1 million gallons of No. 6 fuel oil, spilled an estimated 98,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay, the second largest spill in the bay's history. More than 93 miles of coastline were affected, and hundreds of birds killed. Click the link above to see recent cleanup summary reports. Other popular pages and links include our page US Coast Guard: 98,000 gallons best estimate of oil spilled, the New Bedford Standard Times Op Ed article on how the Buzzards Bay NEP helped in this determination, and our Oil Spill Legislation page.

Have you confused us with another Buzzards Bay organization?

In the 1980s, the Buzzards Bay NEP had a "Citizen Advisory Committee" or CAC that was part of the program and was helping with the evaluation of pollution and identification of management options to protect and restore Buzzards Bay. This CAC broke off from the Buzzards Bay NEP and eventually became two independent, not-for-profit organizations. The first organization called itself The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. It was a '501(c)3' educational and outreach a citizen-based group. The second became the Buzzards Bay Action Committee, a non-profit organization composed of municipal officials, that has become more involved with state, local, and federal legislative and regulatory issues. Today, both organizations are on the Buzzards Bay NEP's Steering Committee, and both have adopted as one of their major goals, the implementation of recommendations contained in the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

The views or information contained here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the US EPA.

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