Resources
Cape Cod’s water resources:
Cape Cod Commission website on Water Resources. Posted at: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/topic/water-resources/
The Cape Cod Rivers Observatory, an initiative of the Woods Hole Research Center. http://www.caperivers.org/about/
Economic value of the blue economy:
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce website on economic value of Cape Cod’s tourism industry, at: http://www.whycapecod.org/stats.html
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project, Why It Matters to Massachusetts Economy, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_013852.pdf
Cape Cod’s economy is a blue economy based on water https://www.bluecapecod.org/
Definitions:
Embayments: https://www.yourdictionary.com/embayment
Estuaries: NOAA https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/estuary.html
The Data
Coastal Embayments:
- Coastal Summary
- Town of Barnstable
- Barnstable Clean Water Coalition
- Buzzards Bay Coalition
- Center for Coastal Studies
- Pleasant Bay Alliance
- Town of Chatham
- Town of Harwich
- Towns of Orleans – Eastham
- Waquoit Bay Watchers
Ponds:
Drinking Water
Watersheds:
Cape Cod Commission watershed reports. Posted at: https://capecodcommission.org/our-work/208-plan-implementation/. Click on an individual watershed to get the report for that watershed.
Nutrient pollution:
Cape Cod Commission. 2015. Cape Cod Areawide 208 Water Quality Management Plan. Posted at: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/208/
Massachusetts Estuaries Project. See state website at:
https://www.mass.gov/guides/the-massachusetts-estuaries-project-and-reports and
Massachusetts Estuaries Project. See University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Technology (SMAST) website at: http://www.smast.umassd.edu/Coastal/research/estuaries/estuaries.html
Cape Cod Commission, Ponds and Lakes website at: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/ponds-and-lakes/
Beach water quality monitoring:
Barnstable County webpage on bathing beach water quality at https://www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/health-topics/recreational-water-quality
Shellfish water quality monitoring:
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries webpage on shellfish sanitation and management, at: https://www.mass.gov/shellfish-sanitation-and-management
Cyanobacteria monitoring on Cape Cod:
Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Cyanobacteria monitoring program webpage at: https://www.apcc.org/cyano/index.html
Mercury in ponds and lakes:
https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/pe/hgtrend.pdf
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/eating-fish-safely-in-massachusetts
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/mercury-guide
Emerging contaminants and pharmaceutical compounds in Cape Cod’s waters:
Silent Spring Institute website at https://silentspring.org/news/contaminants-pervasive-cape-cods-drinking-water-supply/faqs-emerging-contaminants-cape-cod
Center for Coastal Studies webpage on pharmaceuticals in marine waters, at: https://coastalstudies.org/cape-cod-bay-monitoring-program/monitoring-projects/contaminants-of-emerging-concern/pharmaceuticals-in-the-waters-of-cape-cod-bay-and-nantucket-sound/
PFAS:
PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) in Recreationally Caught Fish – Guidance on how to minimize exposure to PFAS in local fish: https://www.mass.gov/doc/pfas-in-recreationally-caught-fish-fact-sheet/download
EPA website on PFAS, at: https://www.epa.gov/pfas
Massachusetts website on PFAS, at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
Buzzards Bay Eutrophic Index for evaluating coastal eutrophication:
Costa, J. E., B. L. Howes, A. Giblin, and I. Valiela. 1992. Monitoring Nitrogen and indicators of nitrogen to support management action in Buzzards Bay, p. 497-529. In McKenzie et al.(eds) Ecological Indicators, Elsevier, London.
Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program webpage on the Buzzards Bay Eutrophic Index, at http://buzzardsbay.org/technical-data/status-trends/citizen-wq-monitoring/eutroindex/
Gunn, E., D.S. Janik and J.E. Costa. 1994. Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Buzzards Bay Project. https://buzzardsbay.org/download/qappcitz1994.pdf
Buzzards Bay Coalition website on Bay Health Index, at: https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bay-health/
Center for Coastal Studies website on water quality monitoring program, at: https://coastalstudies.org/cape-cod-bay-monitoring-program/
Carlson Trophic Index for evaluating freshwater ponds and lakes:
Carlson, R.E. and J. Simpson. 1996. A Coordinator’s Guide to Volunteer Lake Monitoring Methods. North American Lake Management Society. 96 pp. Posted at:
https://www.nalms.org/secchidipin/monitoring-methods/trophic-state-equations/
Carlson, R.E. 1977. A trophic state index for lakes. Limnology and Oceanography Vol. 22, pp. 361-369. Posted at: https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.4319/lo.1977.22.2.0361
Grading drinking water:
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 2003. What’s on Tap: Grading Drinking Water in U.S. Cities. Posted at: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/whatsontap.pdf
Pond water quality (PALS Program):
Cape Cod Commission website on the PALS program, at: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/ponds-and-lakes/
State of the Waters: Cape Cod Water Health Reports 2019, 2020, 2021