Special Notice
MassDEP will be holding two online information webinar sessions on the proposed draft amendments to Title 5 and the draft Watershed Permit Regulations. MassDEP will provide an overview of the proposed amendments and regulations and will take questions from participants during the webinar. MassDEP intends to have staff who speak Spanish and Portuguese available for questions in those languages. One session will be on Tuesday, November 15th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The second session will be on Wednesday, November 16th from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
The information and links to register for each of the online webinar sessions can be found on the Title 5 Regulation page under Proposed Amendments and on the Proposed Watershed Regulation page:
310 CMR 15.000: Septic Systems ("Title 5")
314 CMR 21.00: Watershed Permit Regulations
BBAC Monthly Meetings
At a May 2022 BBAC meeting, Paul Locke - MassDEP Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Planning, and John Handrahan - Deputy Regional Director for the Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, Southeast Region, gave a presentation titled, "Closing open soil and gravel pits: reclamation, regulations, procedures, and issues."
The BBAC now holds its monthly meetings at the at the Fairhaven DPW offices on Arsene Street, unless otherwise noted. 5 Arsene St, Fairhaven, MA 02719. Meeting are typically held at 9AM on the fourth Thursday of the month, with an option to Zoom in.
BBAC led Stormwater Collaborative finished two years of monitoring and mapping
In January 2018, the BBAC wrapped up two years of monitoring and stormwater network mapping through the Buzzards Bay stormwater collaborative. In July 2018, the Buzzards Bay NEP issued a report, In May 2019, the Buzzards Bay NEP released the updated final Water Quality Data Reports for each participating municipality (reports: Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Wareham).
BBAC participates in Westport River Watershed Alliance's River Day event
Click on a photo to enlarge
BBAC Receives $200,000 EPA Grant for Stormwater Collaborative
On Friday, October 30, 2015, the U.S. EPA announced at an event in Taunton, MA, that the Buzzards Bay Action Committee is receiving $200,000 to launch the Buzzards Bay Stormwater Collaborative. The initiative, which will involve participation from the public works departments in the Towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, and Wareham, will map stormwater networks and monitor stormwater discharges contributing to shellfish bed closures and other nutrient and pathogen impairments. The work will involve collecting stormwater samples to evaluate pollution loadings and identify potential illicit discharges. The Buzzards Bay NEP, a partner for the initiative, will be updating developing GIS system to serve the participating communities. There will also be a crowdsourcing component to get the public to submit photographs of stormwater discharges using mobile devices. Go to stormwater.buzzardsbay.org for more about the initiative.
BBAC chair Mike O'Reilly accepting, on behalf of the BBAC, the $200,000 U.S. EPA grant award at the Taunton press event. Presenting the ceremonial check was Congressman Joe Kennedy III, Massachusetts 4th District representative.
This effort builds upon past efforts by the BBAC, the Buzzards Bay NEP, and Buzzards Bay watershed towns, to combine resources in a cost-effective way to meet local goals to improve water quality and manage stormwater systems. The BBAC has announced that it is seeking a part-time project manager to guide the effort (see the sidebar for the job posting). Resumes are due by November 25, 2015.
The Buzzards Bay Action Committee or "BBAC" is a not-for-profit organization, composed of municipal officials, which is involved with state, local, and federal legislative and regulatory issues. The BBAC also helps guide state and federal agencies as to the needs of Buzzards Bay municipalities in better protecting the environment. The primary goal of the BBAC, like the other two Buzzards Bay focused organizations, is the implementation of the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan that was approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. EPA in 1991.
Overview of the BBAC
The Buzzards Bay Action Committee or "BBAC" is a not-for-profit organization, composed of municipal officials, which is involved with state, local, and federal legislative and regulatory issues. The BBAC also helps guide state and federal agencies as to the needs of Buzzards Bay municipalities in better protecting the environment. The primary goal of the BBAC, like the other two Buzzards Bay focused organizations, is the implementation of the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan that was approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. EPA in 1991.
The BBAC is also a member of the six-member Buzzards Bay NEP Steering Committee along with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the U.S. EPA, the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District, and the citizen group, the Buzzards Bay Coalition.
BBAC Meetings
The Buzzards Bay Action Committee now generally meets the third Thursday of the month, generally at either the Marion Police Station, or at the Fairhaven DPW offices on Arsene Street (5 Arsene St, Fairhaven, MA 02719). Go to the Meetings page for the next meeting and more information.
At a March 2018 BBAC meeting, Seth Pickering, Southeast Regional Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, gave a presentation titled, "The Green Communities Division Partnering with Massachusetts Cities and Towns."