ES&M's installation of a Permeable Reactive Barrier near Lagoon Pond on Martha's Vineyard

ES&M's PRB installation was featured in a November news article published in the Martha's Vineyard Times.  

​​The PRB ES&M installed recently for the Martha's Vineyard Commission is the first of its kind on the island. A PRB is a barrier installed in the subsurface to lower nitrate levels in groundwater passing through it.  The article states "Nitrogen occurs naturally in the environment, but excess nitrogen enters the pond primarily through septic systems and fertilizers from densely populated areas. Excess nutrients cause blooms, blooms cause oxygen starvation, and oxygen starvation smothers other organisms such as fish, shellfish, and plants in the ecosystem."

MVC Executive Director Adam Turner said that "PRBs are site-specific, and can’t work for every area, but that it’s one way to address the nitrogen problem in coastal ponds. Excess nitrogen is a problem in every pond on the Island." 

The photos to the left show our staff at work on the project and the equipment used to install the PRB.