^tosrx
a
NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STURY
Hm^cfiusetts
Porous Pavement Improves Provincetown Harbor Beaches
Waterbody Improved
Dense development and large amounts of impervious areas in the immediate
vicinity of Provincetown Harbor have resulted in significant amounts of
stormwater runoff reaching the harbor waters. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
(MassDEP) placed Provincetown Harbor on its 1992 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters
for pathogens caused by polluted stormwater runoff. Beneficial uses impacted included shellfishing. To address
this problem, a major construction project to install new porous pavement on Commercial Street began in 2012.
As a result of these and other measures, Provincetown Harbor has already exhibited cleaner water, confirmed by
significantly fewer beach closings. MassDEP expects Provincetown Harbor to meet all its designated uses by 2020.
Problem
Provincetown Harbor is on the tip of Cape Cod. The
recreational (beach tourism) and commercial uses
(fishery) of the 4.33-square-mile harbor play a signifi-
cant role In the local economy.
Commercial Street, the heart of the downtown com-
mercial area, runs closely parallel to the beaches of
Provincetown Harbor. After summer storms, beaches
in Provincetown Harbor would regularly experience
beach closures due to high fecal coliform bacteria lev-
els that exceeded bathing beach standards. The limited
amount of drainage on Commercial Street provided for
no infiltration and treatment, allowing stormwater to
flow directly into the harbor. The primary pollutants
of concern in runoff were bacteria and sediments.
Provincetown Harbor is currently listed on the 2014
Integrated List of Waters as a Category 4a with a total
maximum daily load for fecal coliform.
Project Highlights
Porous pavement is a paved surface with a higher than
normal percentage of air voids to allow water to pass
through it and reach the subsoil. This porous surface
replaces traditional pavement, allowing parking lot,
driveway and roadway runoff to infiltrate directly into
the soil. Depending on the design, paving material, soil
type and rainfall, porous paving can infiltrate as much
as 70 to 80 percent of annual rainfaii. Porous pave-
ment Installation was a preferred alternative to other
drainage options due to space limitations along por-
tions of Commercial Street and the amount of utilities
present. The Provincetown Harbor/Commercial Street
Reconstruction project included drainage improve-
ments and sidewalk reconstruction, in addition to the
I
Figure 1. Porous pavement installation on Commercial
Street, during (top) and after (bottom) construction.
of porous asphalt (Figure 1). Each phase also incorpo-
rated the use of porous asphalt on the aprons of the
intersecting streets to capture runoff before It reached
Commercial Street.
Construction was completed in three phases (Figure 2).
Phase 1 included excavation and paving from Winthrop
to Johnson streets (2,700 linear feet) and was complet-
ed in 2013. Phase 2, from Winthrop Street to the West

-------
Partners and Funding
Figure 2. The Commercial Street reconstruction project was
implemented in three phases.
End Parking Lot (2,950 linear feet), was completed
in 2015. Phase 3 will include 2,300 linear feet from
Johnson to Howland streets and is expected to be
completed by June 2017. This project has improved the
water quality of the six ocean outfalls that currently
discharge from this area into Provincetown Harbor.
A key approach that served the project well was the
public notification component of the project. Road
reconstruction in a downtown commercial area like
Commercial Street can be disruptive and raises ques-
tions from the public regarding road closures, parking,
deliveries, etc. The road layout is one-way, narrow,
with many properties abutting the construction zones.
As part of the education and outreach task of this
project, a public forum was held with the engineer,
contractor and members of the town present to
discussthe planned project. A flyer was also devel-
oped and distributed at the forum and posted on the
town's website. A page dedicated to the project was
also developed through the town's website. Continued
communication was important.
Results
Reducing the amount of stormwater runoff from
Commercial Street to Provincetown Harbor has
greatly improved its water quality. Figure 3 shows
the number of closures for each beach in the project
area starting in 2007. Beach sampling is conducted
by the Barnstable County Department of Health and
Environment and the town of Provincetown's Health
and Environmental Affairs Department during the sum-
mer months. The data indicate that the porous pave-
ment installation (2013-present) has contributed to a
noticeable reduction in the number of beach closures.
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
provided initial support by funding the 2003
stormwater assessment through the Coastal Pollution
Remediation Program. Other efforts include the
replacement of septic systems and construction of a
new wastewater treatment plant In 2003.
The total cost for Phase 1 of the Provincetown Harbor/
Commercial Street Reconstruction project was $1.46
million. $1 million was provided by the MassWorks
infrastructure Grant Program under a Public Works
Economic Development Grant, and the town contrib-
uted $460,000.
Phase 2 costs totaled $1.92M. The preliminary design
of Phase 2 was developed with funding assistance
from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 604(b)
Water Quality Management Planning Grant in 2009
($90,240). An EPA CWA section 319 Nonpoint Source
Pollution Competitive Grant Program provided funding
assistance in the amount of $600,000 for implementa-
tion work in 2013. The town of Provincetown contrib-
uted $400,000.
Phase 3 of the project is expected to start construc-
tion after Labor Day 2016 with a completion date of
June 1, 2017. It includes $1,960,000 from MassWorks
and $600,000 from the town. Provincetown hopes to
continue with a Phase 4 which could be completed
before June 1, 2019.
Provincetown Harbor Beach Closures
$ 6
5 5
o
J 4
c
to 3
a>
S 2
III
II

III llll
I
z TOO1 tOO% tPCP	t.0"^	tP^
Year
Beach Sampling Points1: ¦ JB BCS ¦ RB CtS BAA ¦ TL ¦ WE
1 Beach sampling points: JB = Johnson Beach (Phase 1); CS = 333 Commercial St. (Phase 1); RB = Ryder
Beach (Phase 1); CtS = Court St. (Phase 1); AA = Atlantic Ave. (Phase 2); TL = Town Landing West of Coast
Guard Station (Phase 2), WE = West End Lot (Phase 2).
Figure 3. Provincetown Harbor beach closures have declined.
* ^ '
%
\
% /
*1 PRO"^
2
0
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-16-001NN
December 2016
For additional information contact:
Malcolm Harper
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
508-767-2795 • Malcolm.harper@state.ma.us
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Wlnthrop Street I

-------