On Thursday of next week, June 2, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission is scheduled to conclude its deliberations and vote on the Lagoon Ridge housing development being planned for forested land sloping down into the Lagoon Pond on the Oak Bluffs side of the pond. The town of Oak Bluffs realized the critical nature of the area and referred the project to the commission for review as a development of regional impact (DRI).

The developer is proposing a plan that calls for 25 new dwellings, three new paved roads and the use of an innovative alternative septic system which will serve a cluster of 21 of the 25 houses. The remaining four houses will also be on innovative/alternative systems but will not be tied to the clustered I/A. The nitrogen loading for the new development is very near the maximum for that location; however, the load limit is shortsightedly based on standards imposed prior to understanding the realities which pertain to the severe deterioration of our coastal ponds.

This plan which calls for one of the largest areas of land to be developed in Oak Bluffs in recent years may have passed the scrutiny of the commission just a short time ago. But, times have changed, and there is now a wealth of scientific data regarding the dire condition of the Lagoon Pond which causes serious concerns and makes the plan an ill-conceived venture.

The commission’s new executive director, Adam Turner, has publicly stated that he has made the health of coastal ponds a top priority for the MVC. Mr. Turner recently organized the conference titled Cleaning Up Our Waters. At that conference, invited experts presented their conclusions and recommendations regarding the health of the Lagoon Pond, and also shared their opinions about I/A systems. We learned from Brian Howes, PhD, of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, that the Lagoon Pond is classified as being severely impaired, and that nitrogen is the primary culprit. Mr. Turner and commissioners present at the conference also heard about the pond’s dire straits from firsthand narratives by some who work on the Lagoon on a daily basis. Other speakers discussed the problems associated with alternative septic systems, their components and their need for rigid monitoring.

Still, much of this information was not news to the commission, because the series of articles published by the Vineyard Gazette concerning coastal ponds echo the laments of the presenters at the conference. And importantly, the MVC itself devotes a significant portion of their own website to address wastewater issues which includes many references to studies on the efficiency of I/As and the poor health of our ponds.

The commission is also aware that I/A systems, such as the one proposed for Lagoon Ridge, are complex operations that depend on optimal conditions to reach their designed nitrogen removal. In essence, such a system has to be working properly and maintained properly to function as designed, and even then it still puts large amounts of nitrogen into the watershed.

So it is apparent that the commissioners are not blind to the issues of nitrogen with their heads in the sand. They are fully aware of the importance of putting no new nitrogen into the Lagoon Pond. They know of these issues by being reliably informed by their own experts. They are aware of the progressive measures in the so-called “no new nitrogen” regulations being reviewed and voted on in the town of Tisbury, which shares the Lagoon’s waters.

The commission has heard from my organization, the Lagoon Pond Association, the Oak Bluffs shellfish constable, and members of the public, all of whom have expressed serious concerns about the Lagoon Ridge Development. Based on their own words and their own experts, it is clear that commission understands the effects of adding more nitrogen from 25 new houses to the Lagoon Pond’s ecosystem. The MVC knows that any hope of restoring the eelgrass beds, the lessening of algae blooms, and support for the variety of saltwater shellfish and animals will be further diminished as Lagoon Ridge is developed.

It is obvious to the commission that the Lagoon’s potential as an economic resource for fishermen and shellfishermen has already suffered and will become nonexistent as the pond is even more fouled. The pond’s recreational benefits will disappear and surrounding property values will enter a downward spiral.

At the most recent MVC meeting concerning the Lagoon Ridge development, one commissioner bemoaned the fact that the Island’s nitrogen loading standards have not kept pace with the times as we gained knowledge about nitrogen’s detrimental effects on our ponds. But he also wondered, how can the commission penalize the developer at this stage of the process? In essence, he seemed willing to forgo the health of the Lagoon, the economies and livelihoods associated with it, the recreational enjoyment of many and the surrounding area property owners who will face a loss for the sake of the developer.

The commission surely knows and acknowledges that adding more nitrogen to the Lagoon is counter intuitive and that the effect will hasten the complete destruction of the already fragile ecosystem. The elected officials of the MVC have the regulatory powers and a mandate to protect the land and waters of the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. It would be appropriate and logical to vote against the Lagoon Ridge development as it has been presented. The time may come for such a development, but no plan should be approved to the detriment of the Lagoon Pond, people of Martha’s Vineyard, our many guests, and tourists.

Doug Reece is president of the Lagoon Pond Association.