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Falmouth committee votes to send ENF and watershed plan outline to select board for MEPA review
Summary
The Water Quality Management Committee unanimously voted to forward an Environmental Notification Form (ENF), an outline for a draft watershed management plan and a draft EIR to the select board and town manager so the town can begin MEPA environmental review; the plan will guide nitrogen-reduction actions across state-designated nitrogen-sensitive areas.
The Water Quality Management Committee voted unanimously Feb. 11 to send an Environmental Notification Form and an outline for a draft watershed management plan and draft environmental impact report to the Falmouth select board and town manager for signature so the town can begin state environmental review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.
Amy Lowell, the town wastewater superintendent, told the committee the state’s 2023 watershed permit regulations require towns to address watersheds that include state-designated nitrogen-sensitive areas either by installing I/A systems on all affected properties or by preparing watershed management plans and applying for watershed permits by 2030. She said the plan will define sewer areas and I/A (innovative/alternative) areas for each watershed, evaluate alternatives, set phasing through a 2030–2050 planning horizon, and provide planning-level cost estimates to inform financing.
“We’re planning to submit the ENF by March 2,” Lowell said, asking the committee for a formal vote “to send the environmental notification form, including the outline for a watershed management plan and DEIR, to the select board and then to the town manager so it could be signed and submitted to the state.” The committee then voted to forward the materials.
Lowell said the watershed plan will require MEPA review because the project exceeds thresholds, including more than 10 miles of potential sewer installation. She described the ENF as the first step in a process that will include a draft EIR, public notice and comment periods, and coordination across town departments — the planning department, board of health and public works divisions — as well as public outreach in areas designated for environmental justice.
Committee members praised the outline and urged that the materials be explicitly limited to the outline being forwarded, not to specific technology choices or final project decisions. Jonathan (committee member) sought clarification on schedule and sequencing, and Lowell said the town intends to meet its existing permit-application schedule (some watershed groups may be submitted sooner, with all applications completed by 2030 unless the town requests a schedule change).
The committee’s motion, moved and seconded during the meeting, passed by voice vote with no recorded oppositions. Lowell told the committee the draft watershed plan and draft EIR are scheduled to be submitted in draft form in 2026 and that additional funding requests would likely follow in FY2027 to finalize the documents and complete permit applications.
Next steps include the town posting the ENF and related materials in the state Environmental Monitor, which will open a formal public comment period; committee members said they expect extensive public engagement as the draft EIR is prepared.
