OneCape 2024: Water Quality Progress 

Ten years ago, OneCape was launched to address the region's pressing water quality challenges, with a focus on wastewater management. A decade later, the progress is evident, but the scope has expanded. This year's Summit highlighted the successes of the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund and focused on advancing efforts to protect our vital freshwater resources. From innovative data tools to comprehensive pond restoration strategies, OneCape 2024 demonstrated the region's ongoing dedication to safeguarding Cape Cod’s ponds and lakes, offering new approaches and insights to guide future preservation efforts. 

Commission Deputy Director Erin Perry spoke on September 19th about Advancing the Freshwater Initiative, highlighting ongoing work and progress made over the past year, including an economic analysis, development of a pond restoration projects viewer and pond strategies database and fact sheets, continued regional pond monitoring and data analysis, and recommendations to support healthy ponds and lakes.  

During a series of lightning talks, Commission Water Resources Analysis Tim Pasakarnis shared an update on the development of a freshwater data portal that, when complete, will provide an online repository for new and historical data collected from the region’s ponds, as well as analysis of data frequently used in planning.  

Focusing on the impacts of the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund, a panel comprised of Association to Preserve Cape Cod Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb, Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund Management Board Chair and Orleans Select Board member Kevin Galligan, Falmouth Assistant Town Manager Peter Johnson-Staub and Eastham Town Manager Jacqueline Beebe discussed the impact of the Fund in individual towns and across the region.  

Breakout sessions focused on important advances in data collection in our region’s ponds. University of Minnesota research scientist Leif Olmanson participated in a pair of panels, alongside Commission staff and Association to Preserve Cape Cod Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb, discussing data collection initiatives, including sharing information on how updated water quality data, geographic information systems, and satellite imagery are being used to gain new insights into the changes in Cape Cod’s ponds.