As coastal ponds and estuaries continue to deteriorate throughout the Cape and Islands, the DEP has proposed a pair of wastewater regulation amendments that could have sweeping impacts across the region.

The Edgartown wastewater treatment facility has dramatically curtailed its capacity for taking pumpouts from septic systems in recent months, forcing septic haulers to scramble.

A detailed look at the work of the man who keeps Island septic systems tuned up and running at peak performance.

Island Official's Septic Permit Raises Issues of Zoning Rules

By CHRIS BURRELL

The operator of the Island's only two sewage treatment plants, who is also a member and former chairman of the Oak Bluffs board of health, may have sidestepped state environmental regulations when he applied for permits to have his old house demolished and a new one built in its place.

Joseph Alosso's property off County road sits in an area of town called Zone 2, where strict state and local regulations protect the town drinking water supply.