Mulvaney Kate K, Merrill Nathaniel H, Atkinson Sarina F
Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies, Rosentiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Florida, USA.
Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA; Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies, Rosentiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Florida, USA.
J Am Water Resour Assoc. 2023 Apr;59(2):226-243. doi: 10.1111/1752-1688.13079.
Mitigating non-point source nitrogen in coastal estuaries is economically, environmentally, logistically, and socially challenging. On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, nitrogen management includes both traditional, centralized wastewater treatment and sewering as well as a number of alternative technologies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 participants from governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as related industries to identify the barriers and opportunities for the use of alternative technologies to mitigate nitrogen pollution. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using content analysis and rhetorical analysis. Cost and technical capacity to reduce nitrogen were the most discussed considerations. Beyond those, there were a slew of additional considerations that also impacted whether a technology would be installed, permitted, and socially accepted. These included: maintenance and monitoring logistics, comparisons to sewering, co-benefits, risk/uncertainty, community culture, extent of public engagement, permitting/regulatory challenges, and siting considerations. The insights about these additional considerations are valuable for transferring to other coastal areas managing nutrient impairments that may have not yet factored in these considerations when making decisions about how to meet water quality goals.
减轻沿海河口的非点源氮污染在经济、环境、后勤和社会方面都具有挑战性。在马萨诸塞州的科德角，氮管理既包括传统的集中式废水处理和下水道系统，也包括一些替代技术。我们对来自政府和非政府组织以及相关行业的37名参与者进行了半结构化访谈，以确定使用替代技术减轻氮污染的障碍和机遇。访谈进行了录音、转录，然后使用内容分析和修辞分析进行分析。降低氮的成本和技术能力是讨论最多的考虑因素。除此之外，还有一系列其他考虑因素也会影响一项技术是否会被安装、获得许可并被社会接受。这些因素包括：维护和监测后勤、与下水道系统的比较、协同效益、风险/不确定性、社区文化、公众参与程度、许可/监管挑战以及选址考虑。关于这些额外考虑因素的见解对于推广到其他管理营养物损害的沿海地区很有价值，这些地区在决定如何实现水质目标时可能尚未考虑到这些因素。
