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Eliminating Stormwater Runoff Restores Shelltishing Area in
Fisherman's Cove
WaterbodV Improved Fisher™"'sCOTS''°cated wi,hi" Butler Cove in Bourne,
Massachusetts, had been closed to the harvesting of shellfish for
decades due to polluted stormwater runoff. A single stormwater outfall pipe drained stormwater
from 1.5 acres of impervious surface, including a large parking lot and building, directly into
Fisherman's Cove, which resulted in closed shellfish areas. Project partners began work in 2013 to
construct best management practices (BMPs), including infiltration biofiIters and other low impact
development techniques, to remediate stormwater inputs to the cove. As a result of this project, no
water flow was observed from the outfall pipe, even after heavy rains. Based on these findings, the
closed area was reclassified to "approved" and opened to shellfishing on December 3, 2014.
Problem
Butler Cove (MA95-77), in the Buzzards Bay watershed
is due south of Buttermiik Bay, about 1,000 feet west
over land from the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal
where it meets Buzzards Bay (Figure 1). The surround-
ing watershed is predominantly residential with locai
and state highways in the same watershed. State Route
6 roughly follows the northern border of the cove.
During a shoreline sanitary survey in 1990, water
samples taken from the end of a storm drain pipe
between numbers 11 and 19 Buttermilk Way revealed
elevated fecal coliform levels. The town of Bourne
declared the area prohibited to shellfishing. The
closed area is populated with both soft-shell clams and
quahogs (hard-shell clams). Butler Cove was also listed
on the 2012 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters for estuarine bioassessments due
to the poor health of eelgrass beds.
Project Highlights
The focus of this project was to construct BMPs
to remediate stormwater inputs and bacteria dis-
charges associated with one stormwater outfall
pipe to Fisherman's Cove (Figure 2). In 2011 the
Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program committed
funds to the town of Bourne for stormwater design
services. Through a request for proposals, Green
Seal Environmental, Inc., was selected to provide
the services. In addition,, the town of Bourne sought
Figure 1. The Butler Cove Stormwater Remediation
Project was implemented near Buzzards Bay.
construction funds from Massachusetts Coastal Zone
Management's Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CZM-
CPR) program. During 2013 and 2014, infiltration
biofilters and various other low impact development
Location Map
Buttermilk Way Bourne
Stormwater Project

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Location Map
Buttermilk Way Bourne
Stormwater Project
• Catchbasin 1:2,000
<• Discharge
—~ Flow
Figure 2. Location of stormwater outfall pipe to
Fisherman's Cove in Bourne, Massachusetts.
techniques were constructed and the entire project
was completed in june 2014. The BMPs capture flow
from area roadways and direct it to settling chambers,
which then drain into a set of subsurface infiltration
chambers within a right-of-way between numbers
15 and 17 Buttermilk Way before discharging to the
Cove. Runoff from a portion of the nearby parking lot
(owned by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a
state university) enters a catch basin and settling tank
that provide pretreatment for nine subsurface infiltra-
tion chambers. System overflows from the parking lot
BMPs are then directed to the drainage system and
BMPs on Buttermilk Way.
Results
After completion in 2014, the Massachusetts Division
of Marine Fisheries evaluated the effects of the reme-
diation project on the coastal waters. On numerous
occasions, and after heavy rains, no flow was observed
from the stormwater drain pipe (Figure 3). The infiltra-
tion capacity of the system was so great that even
after a 5.9-inch rainstorm in July 2014, no stormwater
was discharged from the pipe on the beach. Sand was
Figure 3. This stormwater outfall pipe no longer
discharges to Fisherman's Cove after construction of
stormwater BMPs.
aiso observed in the pipe, which was obviously not
moved due to the absence of flow. Based on these
findings, in December 2014 the Massachusetts Division
of Marine Fisheries re-opened the 1.2-acre shellfish
area in front of the discharge. While the opening
was modest in size, the project clearly illustrates the
benefits of the installation of stormwater treatment
systems.
Partners and Funding
Partners included the town of Bourne, the
Massachusetts CZM-CPR program, Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection,
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay
National Estuary Program, Massachusetts Division of
Marine Fisheries, and Green Seal Environmental, Inc.
Project partners contributed over $225,000 for the
project. In 2011 a Buzzards Bay National Estuary
Program grant of $20,000 supported design work. In
2013 the Massachusetts CZM-CPR program committed
$24,013 to the town of Bourne to start the work on
the town's portion of the project. In the subsequent
year (Phase 2), work proceeded on the parking lot
at Massachusetts Maritime Academy with support
from the Academy, the town of Bourne ($37,253), and
Massachusetts CZM-CPR ($149,013).
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-16-001LL
December 2016
For additional information contact:
Malcolm Harper
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
508-767-2795 • Malcolm.harper@state.ma.us

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