Private firm takes control of sewage treatment plant at Joint Base Cape Cod
The private investment firm that took over ownership of the underused sewage treatment plant on Joint Base Cape Cod in September began operations Monday, a move the firm said is the first step in solving the region's wastewater disposal problems.
Despite the protracted series of events leading up to the final title transfer Monday — including several delays and contracts being scrutinized by federal, state and local agencies — American States Utility Services, commonly referred to as ASUS, has begun operations under its local subsidiary, Bay State Utility Services.
Matthew Kennedy, founder and managing partner Converge Partners LLC of Quincy, the investment firm which now owns the plant, said the next steps will be securing the proper discharge permits — regulations specifying where treated wastewater can be safely discarded — to service a larger scope of regional wastewater needs.
“We own the physical asset, and ASUS is operating those, we have not taken title of the water and wastewater permits,” Kennedy said. “But with the transfer of the assets we're able to have more in place to transfer the permits to Converge.”
Getting discharge permits is a difficult process because an applicant has to meet the outlined permitting standards and cannot make existing conditions worse, Andrew Gottlieb of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod told the Times in July.
The permits could be transferred over to Converge within the next 12 months or less, Kennedy said.
Kennedy is a member of the extended family of former President John F. Kennedy, who had a home in Hyannisport and championed the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore, among other initiatives to protect the environment.
Air Force transfers ownership of plant
In June 2022, the U.S. Air Force began the transfer of ownership of the Joint Base Cape Cod sewage treatment plant — which had been operating at 40% of its capacity — to Converge. Kennedy said the idea was to save money for local towns which would be using infrastructure that’s already built instead of building their own systems.
The base, in the western part of Cape Cod, hosts five military commands, including the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Camp Edwards, and the Massachusetts Air National Guard, which maintains and operates the wastewater plant, at Otis Air Base.
Sandwich is interested in using the treatment plant
Many towns on the Upper Cape have not shown interest in using the plant, but Sandwich has made significant inroads in having the plant handle some of its sewage.
Before securing permits, Kennedy said the next steps will be bolstering the existing infrastructure and talking with officials in other Cape towns to figure out their wastewater needs.
"We will be taking steps to improve the functionality of the water and wastewater systems on Joint Base Cape Cod, and then, beginning in earnest, trying to figure out and work with the local communities to understand exactly what the needs are for each of those communities,” Kennedy said. “We're looking forward to rolling up our sleeves, being in control of this process in a way that we haven't been up until this.
Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: New owner of JBCC treatment plant wants to offer services to towns
