Sagamore Lens focus on : Yarmouth groundwater protection

8 Pages·1996·0.47 MB·English

by  Cape Cod Commission. Water Resources Office

Sagamore Lens
YARMOUTH
Focus on:
Groundwater
Protection
Gommm
Documu
VIS
Prepared by the ^^OLLECTiOU
Water Resources Office OCT 15
^997
Cape Cod Commission
l^niversity of
Massachusetts
Depos/tory Copy
Bourne Sandwich
YARMOUTH
Maishpee
Falmouth
This map shows the Sagamore Lenswater
table in 10 foot contourintervals.
UMASS/AMHERST
June 1996
2
What's this pamphlet all about?
CapeCodisfortunatetohaveanabundantsupplyofhigh
quality drinkingwater. Thisbrochure answersfrequently
asked questions aboutgroundwater and discussespoten-
tial impacts from population growth on drinking water
supplies. The information in this brochure is intended to
familiarize residents of the town of Yarmouth with local
drinking water supply sources and what isbeing done to
ensure they will remain safe for years to come.
Where does the water supply originate?
TheSagamoreLensisthesourceoffreshwaterformostof
thetownofYarmouth.Thislensisoneofthesixgroundwa-
terlensesthatmakeup theCapeCodSoleSourceAquifer.
A small portion of Yarmouth receives its water from the
adjacent Monomoy Lens. Lenses can be thought of as
mounds ofgroundwaterborderedbymarinewater atthe
edge, bedrock on the bottom, and separated from each
otherbytidalrivers, suchastheBassRiver, thatcutacross
the Cape peninsula. Groundwater refers to subsurface
water in soils and geologic formations that are fully satu-
rated.
Groundwater in the Sagamore Lens is replenished from
rainor snow that seeps into the ground. The waterperco-
latesthroughthesoiltoreachthewatertable, orsurfaceof
the groundwater lens. Water within the lens is always
slowly moving towards the ocean where it discharges
alongthecoast.Alongtheway,groundwaterflowsintothe
numerous kettlehole lakes and ponds, and into streams
feeding marine embayments along the coast.
The map on the next page shows the location of the
Yarmouth public drinking water supplies. The shaded
areasrepresenttheland areawherethegroundwaterflow
isdiverted tothewellinstead ofmovingallthewaytothe
shore. These areas are referred to as recharge areas, well-
head protection areas, or Zone IFs. Recharge areas from
Barnstable and Yarmouth extending across town bound-
aries are also shown.
WaterResources Office - Cape Cod Commission
3
Yarmouth Public Supply Wells
Wellhead ProtectionArea
I
#
PublicSupplyWell
How much water does Yarmouth use?
In 1995 the Yarmouth Water Department had 24 wells in
operationthatpumpedanaverageof 3,794,088gallonsper
day.Publicwaterservicesinclude241milesofmain,14,355
residentialhook-ups,and842commercial municipalhook-
/
ups. Over ninety-nine percent of the town is supplied by
public water. An estimated 50 private wells are in use.
I
4
ThetownofYarmouth isalwaysintheprocessofplanning
forfuturewatersuppliestomeetitsgrowingneedsand to
ensure an adequate supply in the event of an emergency
wellclosure.Thefollowingchartcompareswaterdemand
and supply for existing and future conditions. The chart
shows that Yarmouth can provide enough water to its
residentsexceptforafuturemaximumdaydemand.Imple-
menting water conservation practices should be encour-
agedtohelpoffsetshortagesfrommaximumdaydemand.
Future supplieswillbe needed to meet anticipated popu-
lationgrowthbeyond theyear2020, orifanysourceislost
from contamination.
Yarmouth Public Water Supply and Demand
1995 2020
25
—
'
Demand
(forplanningpurposesdemand
includeslossoflargestsupply)
Supply
Averageday-wellspumping18hours
Maximumday-wellspumping24hours
(Maximumpumpingcanonlybesustained
forashorttime.)
5
Yarmouth Land Use Percentages
Source: 1994Assessor'sdata
Residential Commercialdevelopable
Commercial/Industrial/ Hffl Undevelopable
Agricultural
Residentialdevelopable Openspace/Conservation
1 1
How
can land use impact water supplies?
The chart above shows the distribution ofland use in the
town.Openspace,whichcomprises26percentofthetotal
landareainYarmouth,isbeneficialtoprotectpublicwater
supplies frompotential contaminationsources. Thetown
iscurrently38percentresidentialand11percentcommer-
cially developed. One of the greatest threats to water
supplies is non-point source pollution from septic sys-
tems. Zoning bylaws protect these supplies by setting
appropriate setbacks from supply wells and limitingsep-
ticsystem densityinareascontributingtowatersupplies.
Watersuppliesmayalsobethreatenedfromimproperuse
and disposal ofchemicalproductsused inhomesorbusi-
nesses.Stepstoeducateresidentsandbusinessesonproper
disposalofthesematerialsarethebestdefensefrompollu-
tion. Periodically, the townholdsahousehold hazardous
waste collection to help minimize improper disposal of
these materials.
3225Main Street, Barnstable,MA 02630

Groundwater Protection Regulations
REGULATEDBY:
WATERSUPPLY STATE COUNTY TOWNOFYARMOUTH
GroundwaterProtectionDistrict 310CMR22.21(2) RPP Zoning
Private Well Board of Health
WASTEWATER/NUTRIENTS
Individual Sewage Disposal Systems 310CMR15:00 DRI review Board of Health
Wastewater Treatment Plants 310CMR5.00 DRI review Board of Health
NutrientLoading 310CMR22.21/15:00 RPP/DRI review Board of Health
Stables Board of Health
HAZARDOUSMATERIALS
Toxic and HazardousMaterials 310CMR22.21 RPP/DRIreview Board of Health
FloorDrains 310CMR22.21
UndergroundStorageTanks 527CMR9.00 Board of Health
Herbicides/Pesticides 333CMR Board of Health
CMR: CodeofMassachusettsRegulation RPP: RegionalPolicyPlan(CapeCodCommission)
Notregulated DRI: DevelopmentofRegionalImpact
What actions have been taken to protect Whatelse can be done to safeguardfuture
water supplies? supplies?
Thetableshownaboveliststhewaterresourceprotection There are several actions that canbe taken to strengthen
controls enforced at the local, county and state levels watersupplyprotectioneffortsinthetown.Thetownmust
relatingtowastewaterandhazardousmaterials.Yarmouth adopt additional board of health regulations or zoning
hasmanygoodregulationsinplace.Itwasthefirsttownin bylawstobringgroundwaterprotectioneffortsintocom-
thestateto develop a comprehensivehazardous material pliance with MADE? wellhead protection regulations.
program, employing a full time hazardous material in- BoardofHealthregulationstoaddressresidentialunder-
spector. Yarmouth's aquifer protection district (APD) ex- groundstoragetanksandprohibitionofcommercialfloor
tendstoprotectthewatersuppliesinDennisandBarnstable drainsshouldbeadopted.ContinuedstaffingoftheWater
thatcrossoverthetownboundary. Commercialusesthat QualityReviewAdvisory Committeeisrecommended.
are within the APD are carefully controlled to prevent
contamination.
MA
WaterResources Office - CapeCodCommission 3225MainStreet,Barnstable, 02630
8
How
can I be sure that the water is safe
to drink?
Publicwatersuppliesaretestedmonthlyforbacteria, andannu-
ally for nitrate nitrogen and other organic and inorganic com-
poundsspecifiedbystateandfederalstandards.Ifanyproblems
areencountered, law requirespublicnotice tobepublished ina
localpaperandtheproblemcorrected.Thewatersuperintendent
is always available to provide customers with copies of recent
water quality results or to answer specific questions. The water
supplyisofexcellentqualityrequiringtreatmentonlytocontrol
the natural acidity. Average nitrate-nitrogen concentration for
thewaterdepartmentispresently1.49partspermillionwhichis
belowthe state and federalhealthlimitsof10.
Therearemanyactionsthatcanbetakenbyhomeownerstohelp
maintain safe water supplies. Get to know the location oftown
waterresourceareasandwhatactivitiescouldcontaminatethem.
Report illegal waste disposal. Remove any residential under-
ground storage tanks that are greater than 20 years old which
couldbe corroded and leaking.
Besurethatyoutakepropercareofyoursepticsystem,pumping
itonaregularbasisandmakingrepairsifnecessary.Minimizethe
use of hazardous materials in and around the home. Carefully
read the label of all hazardous materials and dispose of them
safely. Never flush hazardous materials down the drain. Mini-
mizetheuseoflawncareproductstopreventleachingnutrients
and pesticides, or replant your lawn with a low maintenance
ground cover.
Finally, as you learn more about the importance of protecting
watersupplies,putthisknowledgeintoaction.Supportground-
waterprotectionlegislationatalllevelsofgovernment. Encour-
ageland acquisitionofidentifiedsupplysitesandadjacentopen
space.
Foradditional information on watersupplies:
•YarmouthWaterDepartment [phone]
•YarmouthHealthDepartment [phone] x241
•CapeCodCommission [phone]
•CapeCodCooperativeExtension [phone]
•BarnstableCountyDept.of
HealthandtheEnvironment [phone]
•Dept.ofEnvironmentalProtection
SoutheastRegionalOffice [phone]
This brochurewasfinanced through DEP/DWS 604 (b)
Grant 94-01 SagamoreLens.
Cape Cod Commission
E-mail: [email protected]
World Wide Web: http://www.vsa.cape.com/~cccom