Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program

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

Proposed Prohibition of Commercial Scale Wind Farms in Buzzards Bay

On July 1, 2009, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management released the Draft Massachusetts Ocean Plan. One of the most significant recommendations in the plan is the prohibition of commercial scale wind farms in Buzzards Bay, except for a proposed designated area south of Cuttyhunk and southeast of Marthas Vineyard. Go to our Buzzards Bay Wind Turbines page to learn more.

Buzzards Bay Watershed Pathogen TMDLs approved

In May 2009, the US EPA Region 1 approved pathogen Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for 52 areas in the Buzzards Bay watershed. These TMDLs set water quality standards in 45 estuaries (covering 38.4 square miles) and seven river areas (extending 17.4 river miles) and will have broad implications for the treatment of stormwater, issuance of discharge permits, and the implementation municipal MS4 stormwater permits. Meeting the goals of the TMDL will take many years and possibly cost a billion dollars or more. Go to our Buzzards Bay Pathogen TMDL page to learn more.

The significance of 1100 acres of shellfish beds opening

In August 2008, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries did something rather profound. They opened more than 1,100 acres of Buzzards Bay to shellfishing, including some areas closed to shellfishing for more than 40 years. The newly opened shellfish resource areas were in outer New Bedford Harbor, and stretched from the middle of Clarks Point in New Bedford, to upper Sconticut Neck in Fairhaven. (Read more...).

Final Oil Spill Cleanup Report Posted

We have received from GEOInsight Inc. the Phase IV Final Inspection Report, Phase IV Completion Statement, and the Partial Class A-2 Response Action Outcome statement. The report, issued on the 6th anniversary of the oil spill, is probably the last report to the state for cleanup activities. Go to the Cleanup Status Page to view the combined report.

Salt Marsh Atlas Data updated

We have updated our salt marsh atlas webpage. Specifically we have added a new Google Earth software kml map file to this webpage (see link at the bottom) which has a lot more of the original 2002 atlas information, together with updated restoration status for all the sites. We have included links now to photos for many sites. If I site near you does not include a photograph, please email us a picture so we can include it in the database.

Please review our Protecting Public Health at Swimming Beaches 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.

Please Read and comment upon our new Protecting Public Health at Swimming Beaches.

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

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.

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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