By Bob Katzen

The Healey Administration announced $825,000 in water quality grants to several Cape Cod towns – Barnstable, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Falmouth, Mashpee, Wellfleet and Yarmouth. The grants are aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution, which mostly comes from wastewater. Nitrogen can cause serious problems in the water, such as harmful algae blooms that can affect both the environment and public health.

“This funding represents a critical step in helping Cape Cod communities address the longstanding challenges of nitrogen pollution,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “By supporting local initiatives, we are protecting our treasured coastal ecosystems and ensuring that future generations can enjoy clean and healthy waterways. The health of Cape Cod’s waters is directly tied to the well-being of its residents, its economy and its unique environmental heritage.”

“Protecting our fragile natural environment has always been one of my top priorities,” said Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro). “We’ve worked hard to bring sustained funding to subsidize the astronomical costs of nitrogen-pollution-reduction programs across Cape Cod, including the establishment of the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund in 2018. I am thrilled that MassDEP is awarding grants to these six Cape Cod towns. If we keep up with these efforts, we can restore our waterways and relegate excessive nitrogen pollution to the history books.”