Are Your Concerned about Wastewater?

The Cape Cod Commission is very concerned about wastewater, and you should be, too. On Friday, talks on settlement of two federal lawsuits regarding management of Cape wastewater failed. (Republican lawmakers challenged the EPA on the regulation of pollution in groundwater.) Yesterday the Cape Cod Commission held a meeting at the Wellfleet Public Library. Executive director Paul Niedzwiecki led the discussion. The problem is the degradation of water on Cape Cod and what to do about it. How can wastewater be managed in an efficient and cost-effective way? (Be sure to visit the new Cape Cod Commission Web site, established to help Cape Codders understand and stay informed on the issue.)

Does Cape Cod need a huge sewer system?

Wellfleet, as you may know, is experimenting with filtration thanks to oysters near the entrance to Duck Creek, pictured above on the future reef at low tide. If enough nutrients are removed from water flowing into the harbor, our town may be able to avoid the high cost of sewers. But, what if the federal government decides Cape Cod must use and pay for an extensive sewer system?? Wellfleet gets among the highest scores for water quality in the region. It would be a shame to pay for something we do not need.

“The situation here is not as dramatic as other parts of the Cape where it is really bad,” Paul said, looking grim.

The Commission is trying to promote a discussion that addresses shared watersheds. The executive director feels it best if we can define the solution for ourselves, rather than have a solution imposed by Washington.

Curt Felix, member of Wellfleet's Wastewater Committee, commented that we need to be proactive, to avoid the broad-brush approach.

Paul also described a “tool” that the Commission has created, a nitrogen calculator. "No one should be forced to subsidize an approach that they get no benefit from,” he added. A plan was to be developed by December but now the pace will be accelerated. “I think we can help define a solution for all Cape Cod,” Paul concluded.

(Psst! Wellfleetians, have you had your septic pumped recently?)

If you missed this meeting, please try to attend another on June 2 in Truro from 2 to 4, Public Library, or Provincetown, Center for Coastal Studies, 10 to noon. There is also a meeting June 23rd in Orleans, Snow Library 10:30-12:30.

Why Wellfleet Restaurants Should Recycle Oyster Shells

Yesterday evening Tracey Barry Hunt of Wellfleet's Recycling Committee led an informative meeting on green initiatives for local businesses. The three topics under discussion were the recycling of oyster shells, green certification, and general waste management. A Nauset Disposal rep spoke on this last subject, but I was not able to stay for his presentation. Pam Anderson, from Cape & Islands Green, explained programs that enable businesses to go green without expense and described the benefits of certification. What I want to tell you about today, however, is Curt Felix’s talk to encourage restaurant owners to recycle oyster shells. First, a bit of background: the cost of trash disposal for the Town of Wellfleet will shortly skyrocket. For this reason, the town and its very active Recycling Committee have been looking into ways to reduce the volume trucked off Cape. That is part of the equation. The other important part is water quality: our harbor is not up to State standards. A group of clever individuals on the Wastewater Commission have come up with an original idea to avoid sewers by dumping discarded shells in the harbor to encourage the growth of more oysters. (Oyster seed, called "spat," attaches to shells, "cultch," to create new oysters.) Additional oysters will function as a filtration system and alleviate the overload of nutrients. Since the heavy shells get recycled, the SEMASS bill goes down. More oysters, less pollution, lower SEMASS bills: a win-win situation.

The Wellfleet oyster population is at one tenth its historic record. It was interesting to learn that the inner harbor, over near Power’s Landing, used to have masses of oyster shells where now there’s only sand.

Curt Felix explained the plan to provide restaurant owners with 25-galloon buckets that will be picked up at intervals to be determined on an individual basis. The buckets full of shells will be replaced with empty buckets. The shells will eventually be dumped in the harbor at specific spots, like the area shown in the top photo, between the row of condos and the marina.

At Oysterfest 2011,100,000 oysters were eaten. The State exceptionally agreed to allow the corresponding five tons of shells, from known sources in Wellfleet, to be dumped back into the marina without delay. (To avoid disease, shells from foreign sources must remain on land for four years.) Felix expects around 30 tons of shells from our restaurants per year but this is only a geusstimate. These shells will create a habitat for baby oysters, and the oysters will make the costly installation of sewers unnecessary. Nifty, don’t you think? Here's the plan:

Shucking My First Oyster

When Sandy and Sven left for Cambridge earlier in the week, they left a sack with a dozen fresh Wellfleet oysters in the refrigerator. I'm a lover of oysters, so I sure as heck wasn't going to let those babies go to waste! Unfortunately, I've never shucked an oyster before. After some poking, prodding, and copious amounts of expletives -- it's a good thing oysters can't blush -- I finally got them open.

I ate a few raw, because that's just how I roll, and then figured I should cook the rest. I decided to follow Sandy's lead from the day before and make Oysters Rockefeller. I wasn't able to use breadcrumbs because I have a food allergy, so I opted to use cornmeal instead. The final product was delicious and very rich! So rich, in fact, that I gave myself a stomach ache. Turns out that eating almost a dozen buttered and battered oysters in one sitting isn't a great idea. They tasted so good, though, that I'd probably do it all over again if given the chance. ;)

If you're interested in seeing the recipe or hearing the long version of the story, you can check out my other post here: Oysters Rockefeller Recipe (gluten free!)

Report on Oyster Recycling After Oysterfest

It is wise to collect and recycle oyster shells after Oysterfest, apparently. Know why? If all the shells from the 2010 festivities had been recycled back into the water, Wellfleet would have removed 10% of the nitrogen created by a segment of the winter population, numbering 300 residents. This act would also produce 300,000 to 1,500,000 "free" oysters and filter 22 million gallons of water. I got this information from a recent report submitted by Curt Felix and circulated by Paul Pilcher, Chair of the Economic Development Committee, which will become the game plan for next year. Sounds good to me ....