After the Orleans wastewater validation committee filed its report with the Orleans selectmen, the astonished selectmen called for responses from state officials and put the comprehensive wastewater management plan on hold. They were not going to allow the Town to be railroaded into a project costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars based on questionable data and questionable solutions.

This led to a contentious meeting with county and state officials that was followed up Wednesday night, August 5th in Orleans. The Board of Selectmen convened a special meeting to address specific questions to county and state officials. The town halll meeting room was packed with taxpayers opposed to spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a sewer that wouldn't solve a problem that may be overstated and misattributed to septic systems.

The officials could not defend the model on which they relied in setting "standards," because those who did the models ((paid for by the state) refused to release the underlying data for analysis. Furthermore, there has been no updating of the model for two years because the state stopped funding the project.

At the meeting It was announced for the first time that just five days ago an agreement was signed which will permit towns to "test drive" the state's model if they have ""qualified" parties to do the testing. Criteria for qualification will be worked up over the next few months by the state and county.

Andrew Gottlieb, who now works for Barnstable County after working for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, was the principal spokesman. He was well-informed and sympathetic to the cost concerns of the selectmen. He acknowledged that there is now Cape-wide concern for the billions of dollars that sewers would cost Cape taxpayers. There have been citizen protests not only in Orleans, but in Barnstable and Falmouth about projected unaffordable costs.

The strong message from the public officials was not to rush ahead. They emphatically denied that the state is forcing towns into building sewer systems. In fact, the advice was to focus on substandard areas and work up a plan to address those areas rather than trying to work out a plan for the entire town. Proceed in phases, wait to see what works, what changes in the environment might do (such as the Nauset Beach break opposite North Chatham), wait to see what works before doing more.

The Orleans selectmen were well-informed, professional and clearly concerned about the hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money that are at stake and are doing their best to save the town money while correcting their water pollution problems. They are beginning by challenging the state-developed methodology that has resulted in some water areas being declared substandard. The selectmen made it clear that they intend to act on substandard areas if they become satisfied they are correctly designated substandard.

The Orleans meeting can be viewed on demand on the website of the Town of Orleans by clicking here and scrolling down to the meeting date of August 4 (should be 5), 2009 and clicking on the date. The relevant part of the meeting begins almost right away (2 minutes in from start) with public comments having to do with water pollution matters. Two men spoke and their messsages are instructive to hear. Both urged the selectmen to show leadership for the 21st century. Alternative systems were urged to sewers and Title 5 systems. The meeting with state and county officials starts at 28 min 20 seconds and runs to 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Discussions such as these have yet to take place in Chatham, where the town is getting ready to launch into a $340 million townwide sewer system without any homeowner knowing just what it's going to cost or anyone having asked whether such a massive expenditure is necessary. Are there other ways to eliminate Chatham's water pollution problems at much less cost? Should Chatham work with Orleans on "test driving" the state model to determine its validity?

We should find out.