Working group hears Massachusetts model, treatment options as Connecticut data gaps complicate nitrogen planning

The Sewage Disposal Working Group on sewage disposal met to review subcommittee findings on nitrogen-treatment approaches and data availability. David Potts, chair of the Nitrogen & Environment subcommittee, summarized a recent briefing with George Hoytfather from a Massachusetts testing center and said Massachusetts runs monitoring and enforcement with software and a small staff "with a budget of less than 250,000 a year." Potts said the state publishes data that can be filtered online and that two technologies, Nitrex and Nitro, "can consistently achieve" the lower nitrogen levels needed to protect watersheds.

Potts described a distinction between regulatory thresholds and practical watershed targets: "While 19 milligrams per liter, total nitrogen is required for general use approval...in Massachusetts, the reality is that 10 milligrams per liter or less has been necessary to meet the watershed loads." He also described cost differences, saying sewering a home on Cape Cod often exceeds $100,000 while an on-site Best Available Nitrogen Technology (BANT) system can often be built for "less than about half that cost." Potts said those figures informed the group's interest in on-site systems as a potentially cost-effective environmental measure.

Members raised concerns about data availability in Connecticut. Potts reported that Connecticut data are "practically speaking more difficult to access than hoped," describing datasets that are incomplete, not electronic and "significantly out of compliance." Audrey Dixon of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said data exist but are "spotty," adding that "many systems that are permitted through DEEP today are in noncompliance." Dixon suggested DEEP and the group could consider leveraging Clean Water Act surface-water reporting and NPDES data systems where appropriate to inform tracking.

The subgroup discussed the implications of the data gap for near-term recommendations. Chair Jim Paris noted Massachusetts' stronger compliance record under its program structure and said the working group will need to weigh how data limitations affect any statewide recommendations. The Nitrogen & Environment subgroup will continue exploring technology performance, public datasets and how to incorporate out-of-state best practices into Connecticut planning.

Votes at a glance: The meeting concluded with a procedural motion to adjourn that was moved by Chair Jim Paris and seconded by John Kaskowski; the chair called the question and the meeting was adjourned.