TOWN OF WESTPORT COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PROGRAM FOR FY07

Project Submission Sheet

Community Preservation Committee

Submitter: Westport Estuaries CommitteeSubmission Date: April 11, 2006

Submitter’s address and phone number.Purpose: (please select all that apply)

Liz Collins 27 Kelly Ave. 02790
508 636-6322 / X Open Space
David Cole 2037 Main Rd. PO Box 142 02791
508 636-6594 / Affordable Housing
X Historic Preservation
Town committee (if applicable)
Westport Estuaries Committee / X Recreation

Project Name: Westport Estuary Project

In recent decades the pressures of development and poor land management have negatively impacted the Westport River. If efforts to mitigate these impacts are not undertaken immediately, we risk the loss of the River’s historically significant natural resources as well as the activities and community connectivity that has defined Westport for centuries. As an indication of this urgency, both branches of the Westport River are now on the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s list of “dirty waters” (section 303dof the CleanWater Act, MA95-54_2002) because of excessive nutrient loading and bacterial contamination. While some progress has recently been made in reducing bacteria counts, nutrient loading continues to increase, leading to more extensive algae blooms, reduced oxygen levels, continued loss of submerged aquatic vegetated habitat and ultimately the loss of fish and shellfish populations.

Fortunately, the timing is right for the application of Community Preservation Act funding that can now be coupled with a State-sponsored program to protect and preserve the Westport River estuary. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) established the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) in 2000 to address the problems caused by excess nitrogen loading in 89 estuaries in southeastern Massachusetts. The MEP is a collaborative effort involving the DEP, the School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth and local communities. The MEP has two basic components or phases. The first phase involves compiling data and building an embayment-specific computer model for each estuary. The Linked Watershed-Embayment Model will be used by the DEP to determine the total maximum daily nitrogen load (TMDL) limits for the estuary, to identify the main sources of excess nitrogen and to guide the development of cost effective remedial measures that might be taken to bring nitrogen loads down to acceptable levels to achieve habitat restoration in the estuary. The second phase involves organizing the local actions necessary to achieve acceptable nitrogen levels and also analyzing the potential impact of new activities

Project submission sheet, page 2

such as housing developments, storm water management projects, and water and sewer systems on the future health of the river and estuary.

Under the Mass. Estuaries Project the State is providing one half of the funding for the first phase with the remainder to be provided by the local community. This commitment from the State currently runs only through the 2008 fiscal year.

The Town of Westport established the Westport Estuaries Committee by vote of the Board of Selectmen in 2005. The purpose of the Committee is to mobilize and organize the resources of the community to implement the two phases of the project within the Town of Westport. For the first phase, the Committee is responsible for mobilizing the financial and in-kind inputs from the local community and working with SMAST to achieve successful implementation over the next two years. The total cost for this phase is estimated to be $270,000 so the local community’s share is $135,000. It is anticipated that approximately $5,000 equivalent will be provided in in-kind services from town employees and private voluntary organizations, and an additional $10,000 from private contributions. The Estuaries Committee is requesting $60,000 per year for the next two years from the Community Preservation Fund to meet the remaining local contribution for this first phase of the project.

It is difficult at this time to project the specific remedial measures that may be required for phase two of this undertaking. Examples from other communities that have completed phase one and are moving into phase two indicate that the more common initiatives include capital intensive efforts such as: increased or improved wastewater treatment facilities in critical areas of the watershed, widening of channels or inlets of streams to improve flushing action, installation of storm water diversion or treatment facilities to prevent direct flows into the streams or river, construction of ponds and wetland systems that would digest nitrogen and reduce nitrogen loads due to natural attenuation. The results of phase one will help to identify the most beneficial and cost-effective measures for remediation. Also, subsequent analyses with the computer model will be used to assess the impacts of new development proposals.

The prospective sources of funding for these phase two activities will depend on the type of activity and the availability of other State and Federal funding programs. The nearly completed Head of Westport Stormwater Project is an example of the type of activity that might need to be implemented in other parts of the town in phase two. The budget for this project was initially estimated at $444,144 of which the town’s share is 40% or $180,000 with the remaining 60% coming from the Federal Government. Wastewater treatment system repairs and new installations that would eliminate nitrogen discharge into the groundwater might involve an additional cost of $10,000 to $20,000 per household. State tax credits of up to $6,000 per household are currently available for such projects. It is likely that some additional funding for these and other kinds of projects will be requested from the CPC for phase two, but it is not possible to give any firm estimates at this time.

Project submission sheet, page 3

Budget

The estimated total cost for the Town of Westport’s share of the first phase of this project is $135,000. The Estuaries Committee is requesting CPA funds of $120,000 ($60,000 each year, for two years). The remaining funds will be raised privately with donations to a Gift Fund established by the Board of Selectmen for the project, and in-kind services.

Fiscal Year / Total Cost / CPA Funds Requested / Other Funding Sources if available
2007 / $70,000 / $60,000 / Donations to the Estuaries Gift Fund and in kind match
2008 / $65,000 / $60,000 / Donations to the Estuaries Gift Fund and in kind match
Total / $135,000 / $120,000

How does this project help preserve Westport’s Character?

The two branches of the Westport River, the Noquochoke and the Acoaxet, have defined and sustained the community of Westport from pre-historical times to the present. From Native American clam shell mounds near the mouth of the river, through the first farm of Richard Sisson established near the Head in 1671, the lumber and grist mills of the 18-19th Century, the whaling ships of the mid-19th Century, the water-powered factories along the Upper East Branch in the late 19th and early 20th Century, the extensive farming and commercial shell-fishing throughout the 20th Century, to the recreational boating, fishing and shell-fishing of the latter part of the 20th Century, the river has provided, and continues to provide, the linkages, the energy and the aquatic resources for the people of Westport.

A healthy river is essential for sustaining these characteristics. The Estuaries Project will enable the Town to identify and implement optimal solutions for nitrogen management that will be essential for preserving the river and the watershed.

For Community Preservation Committee Use

Received on:Associated Town Committee:

Reviewed on:Determination