2. Defining our Water Quality Challenge

The environment: Algae blooms from excess nitrogen in Mashpee’s bays and estuaries can lead to the destruction of eelgrass beds important as a nursery for young fish and other animals, low oxygen levels, fish kills, unpleasant sights and smells, and other long term damage to the ecosystem. In 2005, for example, the Mashpee River experienced a large-scale die-off of fish and other animals as the result of an algae bloom that consumed all of dissolved oxygen in the system.

“So on warm summer nights during algal blooms, the dissolved-oxygen concentration sometimes drops too low for the fish, and a die-off can occur. This can occur as a result of purely natural conditions or because of human activity that results in adding nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, to water systems. An excess of nutrients tends to speed up the growth of algae and diminish the availability of dissolved oxygen.” - United States Geological Service

Real estate and the economy: Residents and visitors alike come to live and play in Mashpee for the shellfishing, boating, swimming, and even for the simple pleasure of digging their toes in the sand or dipping them in the water. Clean water is at the heart of those experiences. A Cape Cod Commission study found that a 1 percent decline in water quality led to an average loss in value of 0.61 percent in nearby properties. The study was based in Barnstable, where a nearly 16 percent decrease in water quality was found in the Three Bays area. A similar decline would result in the loss of nearly $50,000 in value for a home in Mashpee with an assessed value of $498,000, the Town’s average. A survey conducted as part of the study found a high risk of behavioral changes based on poor water quality, including a reduction in recreational activity. Residents said they might move away from the region and visitors reported they may vacation elsewhere if water quality declined.

“If applied Cape-wide, the study suggests towns could see their tax bases decline by hundreds of millions of dollars if nitrogen levels continue to rise; while homeowners would lose equity on their home investment.” - Water Quality and Cape Cod's Economic Future: Nitrogen Pollution's Economic Impact on Homes and Communities, Cape Cod Commission 2015

Below are links to a series of videos produced for the purposes of educating the Mashpee community about the scope of the problem, the potential solutions to the problem and the plan moving forward.