From the Falmouth Enterprise · June 5, 2025 · By Katie Nelson
In mid-May 2025, scientists at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and bay neighbors saw algal mats forming earlier and thicker than usual. A reserve researcher reported that the mats repeatedly overheated her boat engine. Both green algae and a dense red seaweed were present. Scientists link the growth to eutrophication from excess nitrogen and phosphorus, which depletes oxygen and threatens eelgrass and fish. The chair of Falmouth’s Water Quality Management Committee called the photos a wake-up call.
Citizens for the Protection of Waquoit Bay backed the committee’s watershed planning but noted that sewers for the Waquoit area are about 20 years away. Residents suggested interim steps: denitrifying septic systems, urine-diverting toilets, tighter fertilizer rules, better road runoff control and a study of a permeable reactive barrier. The article says neither the town nor the group had committed to those steps yet.
Read the full story in the Falmouth Enterprise: “Algal Mats A Bad Sign For Waquoit Bay Ecosystem” →
This is CPWB’s summary of a news article. The full article and its photos are published by the Falmouth Enterprise.
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