Hawksnest State Park now a danger to public health

On June 17, I checked the Round Cove Rd parking area for the first time this year.  This is the area that DCR had proposed to close to vehicles, so that soil erosion threatening the pond with pollution could be repaired.

As usual, I found much litter, including two illegal fire pits, plus an abandoned microwave oven.

Human waste

What was new this time was a large amount of human waste, unburied in the parking area.  There were 2-3 locations used more than once in the actual parking area--with unburied human feces--plus at least three other areas probably used once.  One of these was closer to the pond.  Dog waste was also found.

Human waste and litter at the Round Cove Rd parking area.

On June 16, the Town of Falmouth closed their public water supply because fecal coliform was detected in the tap water.  While Falmouth's public water comes in part from a pond, the soil in Cape Cod is very porous, and even Harwich's wells could be threatened, if the unsanitary behavior found at Hawksnest is allowed to occur elsewhere.  Links to more photos.

Erosion

Erosion had become worse, especially along the road formed last year by 4X vehicles, which established a second informal parking area closer to the pond.  The upper parking area is becoming a basin, channeling runoff towards the pond.

However, this runoff could be redirected away from the pond with a solution as simple as a single sediment sock (a roll of environmental fabric filled with sand).