Judges’ Choice “Small Firm Award” and Silver Award for “Enhancing Embayment Water Quality: Integrating Oyster Reef Restoration & Stormwater Controls in Wellfleet, Massachusetts“
Determined to advance innovative, sustainable, and low-cost natural systems as long-term harbor water quality management strategies, Environmental Partners Group and the Town of Wellfleet have successfully integrated oyster reef propagation for nutrient removal with innovative stormwater controls to enhance harbor water quality. The 2-acre oyster sanctuary now contains over ten million oysters, filtering nutrient-containing suspended solids from the harbor, and stormwater runoff is now being captured and treated beneath Wellfleet’s picturesque streets. Supported by NOAA, USDA, the Green Boston Harbor Project (UMASS-Boston), and the Massachusetts Oyster Project, this innovative and creative project is leading the way for New England.
