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Coventry, RI: This month, we’re featuring a restoration project completed within the SNEP region but not funded by our Program.
This work was completed by the Upper Dam Pond Conservation Association, which is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Upper Dam Pond (Breezy Lake).
Shown here is the result of their efforts in remediating aquatic invasive species in the Lake between June 2020 and June 2021. This restoration is an ongoing effort. For more information, please visit the project website.
Have a photo you want to submit?
Submit your photos with a short caption and photo credit with permission of the photo owner to Reilly.Adam@epa.gov with the subject “SNEP Photo Submission.”
Photos will be posted to the SNEP Photo Gallery on our website. Our favorite photo of the month will be featured in our next newsletter, so keep those submissions coming!
Click to view the complete SNEP Media Gallery
Regional Updates
Thousands of Cape Cod homeowners may need to replace septic systems under new state regulations. “A proposed change in state regulations could require tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents to replace or upgrade their septic systems in the next five years, unless local water districts come up with plans to mitigate nitrogen pollution…[keep reading]”
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is proposing to amend the State Environmental Code and promulgate watershed permit regulations. MassDEP is proposing to amend the Title 5 regulations to enhance protection of embayments and estuaries—particularly on Cape Cod, the Islands and Southeastern Massachusetts—from nitrogen pollution originating primarily from wastewater.
MassDEP’s proposed regulations at 314 CMR 21.00 provide a watershed permitting approach to control nitrogen and other pollutants from entering the embayment and estuaries. The proposed amendments and regulations are available on MassDEP’s website at:
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/massdep-public-hearings-comment-opportunities
The website also includes information about public meetings to learn more about the proposed changes and opportunities to provide public comment on the proposed amendments.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is hosting a
free Community Compositing 101 Online Certificate
Course to Individuals Representing or Serving Disadvantaged Communities.
For existing community composting projects, consider joining the ILSR’s Community Composter Coalition, where members share composting tips and lessons learned.
Version 1.0 of Climate and Economic Justice Tool (CEJST) is now available. In Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, President Biden directed the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to create a Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.
The purpose of the tool is to help Federal agencies identify disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.