The Westport Board of Health will host an informational webinar to talk about why a new regulation is needed to protect Westport’s critical water resources.  The webinar will be held on Wednesday, October 7, at 5:30 pm.

Speakers will include Dr. Rachel Jakuba (science director, Buzzards Bay Coalition) who will present Westport River water quality data and talk about the impacts of nitrogen pollution.  

George Heufelder (Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center) will discuss how nitrogen reducing septic systems work and Bob Daylor (vice chair of the Westport Planning Board) will talk about the recommendations from the town’s recently finalized Targeted Integrated Water Management Plan.

The Westport Rivers are polluted with nitrogen and drinking water wells in many areas of the town are unsafe due to high nitrogen levels as well as bacterial contamination, the BOH said.

Each new home built in town adds even more nitrogen to the town’s overburdened resources.  

In addition to the public health risk, excess nitrogen in the Westport Rivers contributes to the growth of undesirable algae, reducing oxygen levels and water clarity and harming habitats like eelgrass and saltmarshes, and degrading the waters for shell fishing, recreation, and other public purposes.  

In 2017, the US EPA established limits on how much nitrogen could be in the Westport Rivers and found that 71percent of the nitrogen from existing on-site systems must be removed.  Earlier this year, the town finalized the Targeted Integrated Water Resources Management Plan in an effort to address the nitrogen challenge.  One of the first things that needs to be done is to stop adding more nitrogen.    

The Westport Board of Health is considering a regulation that would require new construction to install an approved denitrifying septic system.  This change will stop hundreds of pounds of new nitrogen from entering our waters each year.  The regulation also seeks to improve public health by addressing cesspools and other operational issues.  

Residents can log in in at: https:meet.google.com/cuk-rzmc-hpk or by phone (US) +1 513-970-2742 (PIN: 533249328)