Spring Street Sweeping 

to Start April 1st

Starting this week weather permitting, the Dennis Public Works Highway Division will be conducting its spring street sweeping program between the hours of 5:30 am and 4 pm Monday through Saturday. The Town utilizes a vacuum sweeper that will work in tandem with a mechanical sweeper to clear the roads of debris and road salt leftover from winter storms.  

All public roadways, private streets that have a yellow “private way” sticker at the corner of the street sign, and municipal parking lots are cleaned in spring to minimize pollutants, including sediment, debris, trash, de-icing materials, and trace metals. 

Public Works staff will start the street sweeping at Route 134 (Charlie Chamberlain parkway) and work south throughout the entire town. Residents are kindly asked to please limit their on-street parking during this period so that the Town can sweep and clean the entire street. This will be done as weather permits.

Pollutants in storm water runoff are significant contributors to aquatic habitat degradation, nuisance algal growth, low dissolved oxygen and toxicity in receiving water bodies. An increased focus of street sweeping is the removal of organic matter, such as leaves which can contribute significant amounts of phosphorus to runoff as the matter decomposes.

 Street sweeping programs provide several benefits in addition to water quality improvement. Co-benefits of the program include improved aesthetics, potential reduction in flooding associated with clogging of storm water conveyance systems, and reduced air pollution. Removing sand and debris from the road surface also makes it safer for bicycles and motorcycles to travel the roads. 

Shellfish Area Statuses for

Recreational Oyster and Quahog

2025 Licenses On Sale

• Oysters and Scallops are CLOSED
• Quahogs and Soft Shell Clams are OPEN.
• Bass River is OPEN for shellfishing.

Following water quality re-testing in Bass River by DMF on December 2, 2024, the area south of the Route 28 bridge is now open to shell fishing. 

Quahogs may be harvested on Saturdays and Mondays. Weekly harvest limit for quahogs is (1) 10-quart basket. The week begins on Sundays. A valid recreational shellfish license is required. 

 2025 licenses are on sale. Licenses can be purchased by cash or check at the Natural Resources Department in Dennis Town Hall located at 685 Route 134 South Dennis, MA 02660. Dennis residents who have not had a shellfish license in the year prior must bring proof of residency. All shellfish licenses are valid from  January 1 - December 31.

Below is the fee schedule for recreational shellfish licenses beginning in 2025:

Residents $40
Seniors $12
Non-residents $100

 If you have any questions regarding the closure, please reach out to the Shellfish Constable, Jordan Halloran, by phone at 508-760-6123 ext. 107 or by email at jhalloran@town.dennis.ma.us. 

Transfer Station License Plate Reading System

The Town of Dennis Department of Public Works is pleased to announce that the Town Hall 24/7 integrated license plate reading system is now in full operation at the transfer station.

After multiple years of fine tuning and testing, the system is ready to go live, bringing the inception of sticker less access to the transfer station for customers who have paid the annual usage fee and registered their vehicle in the new system.

This is an exciting step in the modernization of delivery of services to our transfer station users.  Customers will no longer need to affix a sticker to their vehicle to utilize the transfer station. As vehicles enter the facility the system will automatically read the license plate via a camera, and confirm in the Town's database they are an active, authorized user.  This happens almost instantaneously and will require no interaction with our staff for entry. Customers whose license plates are not properly registered in the system, or need to pay a fee, will be directed by staff to the scale house.

This process will enhance the customer's experience by streamlining the entry process, as staff will no longer have to verify vehicles are authorized to use the facility by checking the validity of stickers.  This will allow the user unimpeded entry while allowing our staff to focus on the delivery of other customer service duties.  

Our Public Works staff proudly serves the residents and guests of our community, and while this system will allow contactless service, we are always here to serve.  If you require any assistance or have any questions please do not hesitate to ask an attendant or the scale house operator.

 Vehicle registration to access the transfer station for the 2025-26 season may be purchased online only beginning February 18, 2025. The Town Hall sticker office will be open March 31, 2025, from 10am-2pm for in person registration. To register online go to dennisstickers.townhall247.com/ 

Cape Cod Commission to Launch Study on Tiered Water Rates to Promote Conservation

For Immediate Release (March 31, 2025) — Barnstable, MA — The Cape Cod Commission will launch a comprehensive study to evaluate the use of tiered water rate structures as a tool to promote water conservation across the region. This effort is supported by a $44,332 Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency Grant awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. 

With 18 independent water and fire districts managing water supply and delivery across Cape Cod, approaches to conservation have varied. Most districts currently lack both incentives and resources to engage users on conservation or enforce usage restrictions. 

The Cotuit Water District implemented tiered water rates in 2019, significantly raising rates for high-volume users. The approach yielded immediate results, leading to further rate adjustments in 2024. Since 2020, the Water District estimates it has reduced summer water pumping volumes by as much as 40%. 

Building on this model, Commission staff, with support from the Cotuit Water District and Brewster Water Department, will survey water districts across the Cape to identify current rate structures, including any use of tiered pricing or other conservation-oriented incentives. The study will also examine rate structures from other parts of Massachusetts and beyond to identify best practices and lessons learned. 

In addition, Commission staff will collect and analyze water usage data from local districts, examining trends in relation to weather patterns, drought conditions, groundwater levels, and rate structures. The findings will be compiled into a report that will include analysis, best practices, implementation considerations, and policy recommendations. 

“This study will evaluate how tiered water rates can be used effectively to reduce consumption and enhance water conservation,” said Kristy Senatori, Executive Director of the Cape Cod Commission. “As climate change increases pressure on our water resources, innovative, data-driven strategies like this will be essential to building resilience.” 

The study is expected to provide actionable insights and data to help water districts across Cape Cod consider, adopt, or refine tiered rate structures to better manage water resources and reduce consumption during critical periods. 

This award is part of nearly $500,000 in grants from the inaugural Drought Resiliency and Water Efficiency Grant Program. This funding, provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will help communities reduce indoor and outdoor water use, control water losses within water supply systems, and improve drought management planning. View the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s announcement: http://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-awards-500000-to-improve-drought-resiliency-and-water-efficiency