E/One All-Terrain Sewer – Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Eliminating a TMDL with Septic-To-Sewer Conversions on a Resort Island
Protecting The Near-Shore Waters of Martha's Vineyard
Challenge:
Martha’s Vineyard is a resort island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, whose population swells from 17,000 in the winter to more than 110,000 during the summer. The land is flat and sandy, the result of the island’s formation by a glacier.
Cottages in Oak Bluffs date to the 1860s and used septic tanks or cesspools for wastewater disposal. Ground percolation was an issue, and the dense population left no space for Title 5-approved onsite systems.
In 2004, a TMDL was issued for Edgartown Great Pond, a result of aging septic tanks. Substantial areas needed to be sewered quickly and economically — but the terrain made gravity sewer impossible.
Solution:
Result:
At least 60 towns on Cape Cod have TMDLs. Edgartown’s water quality assessment for the Great Pond has shown that they now meet the TMDL, likely the first in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In Oak Bluffs, residents can wash dishes and laundry at their leisure without worries of overwhelming their septic tanks.
Related Article:
Life Amid the Grinder Pumps: Residents adjust to New Oak Bluffs Sewer System — A low-pressure sewer system replaces failing septic systems on Martha’s Vineyard Vineyard Gazette Article from 2003.
