Troubled Waters on Cape Cod: Sticker Shock (Part 2)

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.2 • 639 Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cape Cod’s famed ponds and bays are suffering from pollution with a curious origin: human urine. Household septic systems are flushing nitrogen into the water, resulting in toxic algal blooms. In the second installment of our three-part Fascination series about Cape Cod’s “yellow tide,” environmental reporter Barbara Moran looks at the controversial and costly pollution solutions being considered. You can check out more of Barbara Moran’s reporting on the efforts to improve Cape Cod’s water pollution, including a “pee-cycling” project being considered by one innovative town. And watch WBUR and Scientific American’s documentary short exploring how pollution and algae overgrowth threaten this Massachusetts vacation hub. Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily newsletter. This series is a co-production of WBUR and Scientific American. It’s reported and hosted by WBUR’s Barbara Moran. Science Quickly is produced by Jeff DelViscio, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Rachel Feltman. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-checked this series, and Duy Linh Tu and Sebastian Tuinder contributed reporting and sound. WBUR’s Kathleen Masterson edited this series. Additional funding was provided by the Pulitzer Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.
0:05.8	Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years. Yacold also
0:11.5	partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for
0:16.6	gut health, an investigator-led research program. To learn more about Yachtold, visit yawcult.co.j.j.
0:23.8	That's y-A-K-U-L-T.C-O.jp.
0:28.3	When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.
0:32.1	Kipkod's ponds and bays have suffered from decades of pollution.
0:36.3	But scientific detective work has finally pinpointed
0:39.2	the worst culprit, human urine. When household septic systems flush nitrogen and other nutrients
0:46.2	into the water, they provide an all-you-can-eat buffet for algae blooms. More algae means less
0:51.9	sunlight and oxygen for other marine life, which means trouble for the people of Cape Cod.
0:57.0	For science quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman.
1:00.0	Today we're bringing you the second installment in our three-part fascination series on Cape Cod's Yellow Tide.
1:06.0	In this episode, WBUR Environmental Correspondent Barbara Moran looks at some of the big-ticket pollution
1:12.4	solutions up for consideration and unpacks why they're so controversial.
1:17.9	So without further ado, here's part two, sticker shock.
1:26.1	All right, excuse me, everybody.
1:27.9	I think we're going to get going.
1:29.3	Starting in late 2022 and continuing into the next year,
1:33.4	concerned residents gathered for a series of public meetings
1:36.8	with representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
1:41.3	The residents were there to share their thoughts. The hearing is being recorded and conducted in a hybrid format.
	...

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