Joint Base Cape Cod sewage treatment plant could help Upper Cape communities, officials say

Asad Jung, Cape Cod Times
·4 min read

SANDWICH — The U.S. Air Force has transferred ownership of the sewage treatment facility at Joint Base Cape Cod to a private company that is interested in using it as a regional wastewater plant.

Such a move would go a long way to solving the problems of Upper Cape towns that are struggling with threats to drinking water quality due in part to homes with failing septic systems.

Since the 1970s, the Massachusetts Air National Guard has had to use its own workforce to maintain the water and sewer infrastructure facilities, when the Air Force transferred control, according to Timothy Sandland, public affairs operations chief for the 102nd Intelligence Wing

"We can take those resources, the people, and put their efforts towards readiness and our mission, whether it's to support the commonwealth, or whether it’s to support the national level,” said Col. Sean Riley, 102nd Intelligence Wing Commander, right. Next to Riley is Tim Gordon, 102nd Intelligence Wing Vice-Commander.
"We can take those resources, the people, and put their efforts towards readiness and our mission, whether it's to support the commonwealth, or whether it’s to support the national level,” said Col. Sean Riley, 102nd Intelligence Wing Commander, right. Next to Riley is Tim Gordon, 102nd Intelligence Wing Vice-Commander.

That is set to change. The Air Force has transferred ownership to a private company, Converge LLC,

The sewage treatment plant processes wastewater collected from the joint base, but only operates at about 40% of its capacity. Its capacity is 360,000 gallons a day, according to Sandland.

That’s why Converge LLC is interested in expanding the use of the facility to treat wastewater across the Upper Cape.

“The base has some significant water rights that they don’t use,” said Matthew Kennedy, founder of Converge LLC, which is based in Quincy.

Wastewater is shown at the Joint Base Cape Cod wastewater treatment facility.
Wastewater is shown at the Joint Base Cape Cod wastewater treatment facility.

The facility itself is somewhat hidden amid winding roads in Sandwich.  From atop a platform at the plant, one can see thousands of gallons of partially treated wastewater in open tanks, waiting to be processed. Despite the liquid’s origins , the smell given off is neutral.

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Converge LLC has hired American States Utility Services, Inc. to operate and maintain the facilities, according to a release.

Wastewater assets include the treatment facility, six wastewater lifts, and 20 miles of piping. Water assets include a "J" well (the sole water source for the joint base), two water towers and 16 miles of piping.

The switch in ownership will allow the Massachusetts Air National Guard to dedicate more of its workforce to its mission, rather than operating a utility.

The wastewater treatment facility at Joint Base Cape Cod is private management, in a new agreement.
The wastewater treatment facility at Joint Base Cape Cod is private management, in a new agreement.

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“Running a wastewater treatment facility and a water distribution system, that’s not really a core competency of an Air National Guard Base...we can take those resources, the people, and put their efforts towards readiness and our mission, whether it's to support the commonwealth, or whether it’s to support the national level,” said Col. Sean Riley, 102nd Intelligence Wing Commander.

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The Guard has been trying to transfer the infrastructure over to an outside company for the past decade, but had difficulties finding a suitable partner, according to Sandland.

Riley did not comment on why it was difficult to find a suitable partner, saying he had  taken command of the 102nd Intelligence Wing only two years ago.

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Riley, who lives in a Sandwich, said that he hopes the facility can be used to help the surrounding communities as well.

“It would be a win for the military, and for the local community,” he said.

Partially-treated wastewater waits to be further treated at the Joint Base Cape Cod wastewater treatment facility.
Partially-treated wastewater waits to be further treated at the Joint Base Cape Cod wastewater treatment facility.

In exchange for taking ownership of the water/wastewater facilities, Converge LLC will build a fitness center at the joint base. This marks the first time that the Defense Department has traded a utility for the construction of a new facility.

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To say Joint Base Cape Cod has a complicated history with water quality is an understatement. The joint base sits atop a sole source aquifer which provides drinking water to hundreds of thousands of Cape residents. However, parts of the aquifer were contaminated by various military activities, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Two environmental clean-up programs to address groundwater contamination began in the late 1990s after Joint Base Cape Cod had been designated as a Superfund site in 1989, according to a 2019 cleanup update from Joint Base Cape Cod.

Despite the active clean-up and monitoring efforts, the decision to transfer ownership of the water and wastewater facilities to Converge LLC was an independent decision outside of the realm of these efforts, said Riley.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Air Force transfers ownership of wastewater facility to Converge LLC