Due to high bacteria counts, the state Division of Marine Fisheries
closed portions of two large Island ponds to shellfishing this week
- one up-Island and the other down-Island.
The closures are effective immediately in part of the Tisbury Great
Pond and at Major's Cove in Sengekontacket Pond, although town
leaders have not yet received official letters of notification.
Putting in Place a Plan to Save Our Ponds Costly and Politically
Tricky, Forum Hears
By CHRIS BURRELL
By the time anyone notices that a coastal pond or bay is choked with
floating drifts of green algae, the events that caused it happened
decades ago.
Nitrogen leaching from septic systems and runoff of pollutants from
black-topped roadways and parking lots did their damage 20 or 30 years
ago, said marine scientist Brian L. Howes, a professor at University of
Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
Eight months after town health officials first detected a contaminated plume running beneath Edgartown Meadows subdivision, they are turning their attention to installing clean drinking water in the neighborhood instead of pinpointing the cause.
"This has dragged on for more than half a year. It's obviously more of a long-term problem," said Matthew Poole, Edgartown health agent.
"The most important thing is for people to have safe drinking water regardless of whether the source is septic systems or the golf club or something we haven't even considered," he added.
A new round of private well tests in an Edgartown neighborhood this week intensified the mystery for Island officials working to pinpoint the source of groundwater contamination spreading through the West Tisbury Road subdivision.
"It's too much of a puzzle, too many unknowns at this point," said Matthew Poole, Edgartown health agent, noting that now 20 per cent of the homes tested have water unsafe for drinking.
Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and West Tisbury town officials received their marching orders this month - recommendations for steps these Island towns should take to protect and enhance public water supplies in order to keep pace with future development.
Lagoon Woes Seen Years Ago
1987 Report on Water Quality Found Problems ‘Particularly
During the Summer Months'; Recommended Dredging
A comprehensive study documented water quality problems in the
Lagoon Pond 16 years ago, but the recommendations from the study -
including a dredging program - were never carried out because of a
lack of funding.
