Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center

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Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center

MASSTC is the nation’s premier third-party testing and research facility for innovative/alternative (I/A) onsite septic treatment technologies.

08/31/2026

💧 introducing our inaugural Ripple Effect Award recipients!

Barnstable County’s Clean Water Center is proud to recognize three Cape Cod water leaders whose work has made a lasting impact on the protection and restoration of our region’s water resources:

• Denis LeBlanc, Hydrologist and Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

• Rick Bishop, Executive Director, Friends of Bass River Cape Cod

• Dr. Kimberly Crocker-Pearson, Chair, Brewster Natural Resources Advisory Commission Town of Brewster, MA

Selected from 23 nominations representing 11 nominees from across Cape Cod, the three honorees are the first recipients of the Ripple Effect Awards, created by Barnstable County’s Clean Water Center as part of the inaugural Cape Cod Clean Water Week, September 13–19.

The awards celebrate individuals whose dedication to science, restoration, advocacy and collaboration creates a ripple effect—strengthening communities and helping protect Cape Cod’s groundwater, ponds, estuaries and other water resources for generations to come.

Congratulations to Denis, Rick and Kimberly!

💧 Explore the Cape Cod Clean Water Week schedule and RSVP through our link in bio or the QR code above!

WaterQuality

08/27/2026

Our event schedule is filling up for the first annual Cape Cod Clean Water Week!
There are so many fun and educational events you can be part of so we will hope you will make it to one at the Clean Water Center or with our 15+ collaborator organizations having their own event.

Head to our link in bio to learn more about the events. We hope to see you!

water center

08/26/2026

Lots of ponds keep getting added to the cyanobacteria outbreak list. It’s summer, lots of people are using them and polluting them without even understanding how.

What are the main causes?
Wastewater is one of the most powerful triggers for cyanobacteria blooms. It provides a highly concentrated mix of nutrients that fuels rapid bacterial growth.
Excess Nutrients: High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen act as food for the bacteria. These nutrients often enter the pond through outdated septic systems, lawn fertilizers, agricultural runoff, as well as pet waste.
Warm Weather: Cyanobacteria multiply even faster when water temperatures rise during the summer and early fall.
Visit the interactive Cyanobacteria Monitoring Map provided by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (Assoc. to Preserve Cape Cod) to see how your pond is faring this late in the summer.

08/19/2026

Clean Water Week Events Are Pouring in-Where is Your Event?

Our First Ever Cape Cod Clean Water Week is from September 13th-19th and we’re so excited by all the events on our roster spanning the entire Cape. We’d love to have your event included as well!

Clean Water Week is a community-centered celebration dedicated to protecting one of the region’s most vital resources—its water. Hosted by the Barnstable County Clean Water Center, this annual event brings together residents, visitors, scientists, policymakers, non-profits, pond groups, land trusts, students and more to raise awareness about water quality issues, while inspiring meaningful action.

Interested in hosting an event at your location for Cape Cod Clean Water Week? Contact Amy DuFault at [email protected]

See our list of events here: https://www.capecod.gov/departments/masstc/cape-cod-clean-water-week/

08/17/2026

Welcome to Stacie Holmes, our new Septic Utility Program (SUP), Administrative Assistant!

Stacie is a dedicated Administrative Assistant with four years of experience working for Barnstable County and a strong background in public health operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree. Stacie is also a military veteran who served in the United States Army Reserve for 14½ years. She is known for her attention to detail, organizational expertise, and commitment to supporting initiatives that promote community health and well-being.

Stacie plays an integral role in the Innovative/Alternative (I/A) Septic System Responsible Management Entity (RME), also known as the Barnstable County Septic Utility Program (SUP). Through this work, she helps support the administration and coordination of the program’s efforts to promote the proper management and oversight of I/A septic systems throughout Barnstable County.

Learn more about our amazing team here: https://www.capecod.gov/departments/masstc/about/the-team/

08/13/2026

County Commissioners Highlight Anticipated Falmouth Water Supply Shortage Highlights Regional Challenge

Falmouth officials reported that Long Pond, the town’s primary surface-water source and part of the Cape Cod Aquifer system, provides approximately 60% of Falmouth’s water supply and has not returned to normal water levels.
Water demand can reach approximately 12 million gallons per day during peak summer periods, compared with about 3 million gallons per day in winter. The strain was evident around the Fourth of July and is appearing again ahead of the Falmouth Road Race, Inc., when officials said the town’s population can climb from roughly 35,000 to between 100,000 and 110,000.

Falmouth is currently under a Level 2 drought irrigation ban. Town officials are considering stronger conservation and enforcement measures, exploring additional water sources and planning a broader discussion involving local boards and departments about water, development restrictions, infrastructure expansion and public safety.

“We’re headed down a path that’s not sustainable right now,” Falmouth Select Board member Doug Brown told Commissioners.

More here: https://www.capecod.gov/2026/08/12/barnstable-county-commissioners-elevate-water-supply-and-carrying-capacity-as-regional-priority/

08/07/2026

Vox writes: “Within a few hours, dozens of other Minnesota cities discovered that their water and wastewater utilities, too, had been compromised, most likely as part of a massive Iranian cyberattack, the kind that US officials have been warning about since the war began.

At least a dozen states have been affected by the attack, which briefly led to a flurry of small-town service disruptions, boil-water notices, and local flooding. Water wells, dams, sewers, and pipelines are some of America’s oldest and creakiest pieces of infrastructure, built long before the internet existed, and certainly long before AI made hacking much easier. While you may assume most hackers are in it for the money or for data, some have targeted critical infrastructure like water systems or energy grids in ploys for control or disruption — or worse still, as acts of war.

And, as last week’s attacks show, the nation’s water system is woefully unprepared. But how worried should you be that the very infrastructure that keeps our water taps running is, apparently, hackable?

Quite worried, indeed.”

Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/498156/cyberattack-iran-water-hackers-cybersecurity

08/05/2026

If you weren’t able to make it in person to Wetlands at Work: Natural Solutions for Wastewater or The Unseen Lifeline: Groundwater’s Role in Cape Cod’s Ecosystem, you can now watch both on our YouTube channel!

Wetlands at Work: Natural Solutions for Wastewater brought together Heather McElroy, Planner, from the Cape Cod Commission and Tara Nye Lewis, Water Resources Analyst, for the Cape Cod Commission whose perspectives converged on the question: what exactly are wetlands for and how can they help clean wastewater?

The Unseen Lifeline: Groundwater’s Role in Cape Cod’s Ecosystem featured Denis LeBlanc, Scientist Emeritus, and Marcel Belaval, Deputy Director, both with the U.S. Geological Survey’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center. Participants learned how groundwater plays a huge role in our everyday life on Cape Cod as well as feeds our rivers, ponds, wetlands and marshes, coastal waters and estuaries as well as drinking water wells.

Watch both here: https://www.youtube.com//videos

08/03/2026

Wastewater History at MASSTC!

MASSTC is working with pioneering companies as part of a major Gates Foundation grant to establish a U.S.-based certification program for reinvented toilets and their technologies, to make wastewater history right here on Cape Cod. The testing underway at MASSTC will help determine whether these systems can move from promising innovations to safe, certified products ready for broader use. This work represents an important step in addressing a massive global sanitation challenge.

For Cape Cod, the project also offers a glimpse into what the future of wastewater treatment could look like closer to home. Technologies designed to provide safe sanitation without sewers may eventually offer new options for environmentally sensitive communities like ours. By helping to validate these systems, MASSTC is contributing to a global effort while continuing its mission to protect water quality here on Cape Cod.

Read more here: https://www.capecod.gov/2026/08/03/no-sewer-required-testing-a-new-generation-of-sanitation-technology-on-cape-cod/

07/31/2026

The deadline for nominating your favorite water hero is TODAY!

As part of Cape Cod Clean Water Week, a community-wide celebration of the waters that define and sustain our region taking place September 13-19, Barnstable County’s Clean Water Center is seeking nominations for its first annual “Ripple Effect” award. This initiative will honor up to six community members who have made substantial contributions to protecting and restoring Cape Cod’s water resources.

Each winner will be honored by the County Commissioners and invited to be part of a “Ripple Effect” award + photography art exhibit and oral storytelling evening for the public at the Clean Water Center on September 19th.

Don’t overlook the good you see. Honor the folks doing the good work for our waters.

Head here to get the nomination form in motion: https://barnstablecounty.formstack.com/forms/ripple_effect_award_nomination_form

Address

4 Kittridge Road
Buzzards Bay, MA
02542

Website

http://www.masstc.org/

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