You can't have clean water and thriving fish and wildlife populations without healthy forests, stream buffers, and wetlands. These natural filters provide the biggest benefits to Buzzards Bay.
As development has increased in our region, it's become more important than ever to protect these lands. Poorly planned sprawling development means fewer forests, stream buffers, and wetlands and more paved roads, parking lots, and manicured lawns - all of which can harm the Bay's health.
Poorly planned residential development within the Watershed represents the leading cause of environmental degradation to the Bay, due mainly to its associated nitrogen pollution. New Bedford’s population has been largely steady since 1930; most of the recent expansion in the region has been in suburban or rural areas. This increased population may for the first time represent a significant threat to the health of the Bay. Why? People are surprised to learn that even properly functioning Title 5 septic systems—the principal means of treating household wastes in rural and suburban developments—cause pollution problems in our estuaries. Although they adequately handle most types of bacteria, they fail to remove more than 25 percent of the nitrogen in wastewater, which amounts to a major source of pollution. What’s more, increasing the residential population of the Watershed means more paved roads, parking lots, and other hard surfaces, as well as the loss of forests and wetlands—all of which interrupts the natural processes that would otherwise filter out nitrogen and other pollutants before they reach the Bay.
“Sprawl” describes the spread of residential growth from urban centers outward into otherwise rural areas. Whereas people can walk or rely on public transportation within a town or city center, sprawl development is more dispersed and, as a result, associated with increased reliance on cars. Individuals living in sprawling neighborhoods tend to emit more pollution per person (as a result of longer commutes and more driving), which has an unfortunate impact on air and water quality, as well as the land itself.
Our region of southeastern Massachusetts will continue to grow. Central to this expansion has to be a balance of environmental protection. We are still ahead of the curve, capable of saving our Bay before it is lost to pollution and development—but only if we act now. Doing so will keep our waters clean for all to enjoy, our wildlife abundant, and our economy healthy.
