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Falmouth health agent outlines new Title 5 choices, warns of costly denitrification burden without watershed plan
Summary
Falmouth Health Agent Scott McCann told the zoning board that state DEP rules require towns to meet coastal‑pond nitrogen limits and that towns choosing watershed permitting can delay broad onsite denitrification—but local maps and financing are unfinished and many technologies meeting a 12 mg/L local standard are limited or costly.
Scott McCann, Falmouth’s health agent, gave a detailed briefing on changes to Title 5 and DEP watershed permitting that could require many homeowners to install enhanced nitrogen removal systems in certain coastal‑pond watersheds. He explained the town chose a watershed permitting approach (rather than immediate town‑wide installation of denitrifying septic systems) after the July 2023 DEP regulation, which gives towns flexibility to combine sewer extensions, shellfish restoration, and other measures to meet TMDLs.
McCann said Best Available Technologies (BATs) and…
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