Falmouth Sole Source Aquifer and Solar Farms

Falmouth Town Meeting approved the necessary zoning and land use articles in November 2025 for a large solar farm, comprising three solar projects, sets of batteries, transformers, fans, inverters, and 45,000 solar panels on the Cape Cod Country Club property.

The Cape Cod Commission has approved plans for three new solar projects on the site of the former Cape Cod Country Club in Falmouth.

Falmouth's sole source aquifer is a portion of the larger Cape Cod Aquifer designated as a Sole Source Aquifer (SSA) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The SSA includes specific parts of the Sagamore Lens, providing water to Falmouth and other Upper Cape towns.

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates a strong protective approach where a drinking water supply is highly dependent on a single aquifer.

• Large solar farms require significant acreage and are subject to review for potential impacts on land, water, and wildlife.
• Federal permitting includes environmental assessments, impact statements, and approvals from land management agencies, a process that can be lengthy.
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): For solar projects involving federal land or funding, the EPA reviews Environmental Assessments (EA) to determine if a project will have a significant impact on local ecosystems.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are tied to federal incentives and programs, acting as a mechanism to quantify renewable energy for compliance with federal goals (Inflation Reduction Act - IRA) and enabling significant federal tax credits (like the ITC/PTC) for clean energy projects.

See Federal Register for further information about the Designated Sole Source Aquifer Area.
https://archives.federalregister.gov/issue_slice/1982/7/13/30281-30284.pdf#page=2