Small Seaside Community Dilemma—Managing One of the First Limit of Technology Permits for Nitrogen Through Extreme Flow and Load Fluctuations

The Chatham Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), which is the first wastewater treatment facility permitted to remove nitrogen to the limit of technology in Massachusetts, was upgraded starting in early 2010 to achieve an effluent annual average total nitrogen (TN) of 3 mg/L (milligrams per liter) based on the total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) set for the surrounding coastal estuaries by MassDEP (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection). Along with the WPCF upgrade, the collection system was expanded as part of the Town's comprehensive wastewater management plan (CWMP) implementation. The population in Chatham swells from the year-round residential population of 6,125 to a daily high of up to 40,000 residents and visitors in the summer months. Although currently seen to a small extent in the summer wastewater flows, the summer population will have an increasing impact on the facility over time as the collection system eventually expands to serve two thirds of the Town.