The Historical Impact of Cape Cod Economy and Identity on Modern-Day Wastewater Management
| dc.contributor.advisor | McDonogh, Gary W. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Donahue, Matthew | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-08-18T16:02:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-08-18T16:02:38Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Cape Cod is a peninsular world defined by the ocean, a vital resource that has been a lifeline for peoples of the Cape since its first inhabitants in the Late Archaic Period. Despite this dependence, however, Cape Cod and its waters have had a tenuous relationship, defiled by overuse and neglect. This abuse has taken different forms throughout history. Early European settlers practiced fishing, shipbuilding, and desalination, initially bountiful until mechanization and overuse led to an ecological collapse in the late nineteenth century which ultimately necessitated a transformation of the region's identity. The Cape Cod of today, a quaint resort town defined by summer homes and resorts, faces a new, less visible crisis. Buried beneath summer homes and sprawling ocean-side estates, over 85% of Cape properties use on-site septic systems, technology that has been shown to be ineffective at removing nitrates and other organic pollutants from runoff water. This imperceptible foe poses a massive threat to a delicate ecosystem and could threaten the integrity of the sole thing that has historically defined Cape Cod: its oceans. This paper aims to explore how the late 19th century shift from a goods to a tourism-based economy impacted modern-day sewage treatment methods on Cape Cod. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Bryn Mawr College. Department of Growth and Structure of Cities | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10066/24543 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.rights.access | Open Access | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ | |
| dc.title | The Historical Impact of Cape Cod Economy and Identity on Modern-Day Wastewater Management | |
| dc.type | Thesis |