What is the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP)?
The MEP is a program to evaluate the nitrogen impacts on 89 embayments in the southeastern part of the state, including all of Cape Cod. Its purpose is to provide an analytical means to evaluate nitrogen entering the embayments and develop nitrogen thresholds for each embayment that will restore or maintain healthy water quality. Under the Federal Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have the power to require communities contributing nitrogen to the particular embayment to meet regulatory limits set by calculating the total maximum daily load (TMDL) of nitrogen. The MEP, funded by the communities and by the state, is being conducted by School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass, Dartmouth under an agreement with MassDEP.
