Where does the buck stop?

Nine years and $12 million ago, the state and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth embarked on an ambitious project to investigate and map nitrogen pollution in 89 estuaries in Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.

This month, with some of the promised reports years overdue, the Buzzards Bay Coalition announced it was taking the first steps toward initiating legal action against the Department of Environmental Protection and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

The UMass/Dartmouth officials responded by saying many of the towns with delayed reports, including Marion and Mattapoisett, have failed to come up with their required portion of funding -- and that other towns, such as Wareham, have provided the project with inaccurate mapping data.

Where responsibility truly lies is not likely to be sorted out for some time.

The project reports are important because they are intended to give state and local officials the data needed to take action against nitrogen pollution – from failed septic systems, sewer plants, fertilizer run-off and even, some have suggested, large flocks of geese.

In 2002, the Massachusetts Estuaries Project was launched to collect, analyze, and present available data. To date, the project has been provided with $6 million in state funds and $6 million from communities included in the project, said Senior Attorney for the Coalition, Korrin Petersen and a researcher for the University, Professor Brian Howes.

Now, the Buzzards Bay Coalition wants to know where the results are.

In a letter addressed to the University and the Department of Environmental Protection on Dec. 9, Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rasmussen explained, “We are commencing an investigation into why, after the expenditure of more than $6 million and up to seven years of delay, Buzzards Bay communities remain without the Massachusetts Estuary Project reports needed to properly assess and begin restoring the health of their harbors and coves.”

Petersen said the Coalition has “been asking since 2009 to come up with a schedule for reports that are way past due.”

The reports for Marion, she said, were supposed to have been completed by 2004, with 2003 as the tentative date for Mattapoisett. She said neither has been done.

University Assistant Chancellor John Hoey objected to the Coalition’s criticism.

“It’s surprising and disappointing that the Coalition wants to complain from the sidelines when there are a lot of people volunteering to get this done,” Hoey said.

Hoey said that reports for 81 percent of the 63 estuaries that have received town funding have been completed. Marion and Mattapoisett, he said, have not been able to match the funds needed to complete the assessments.

Howes said the amount a town needs to contribute is based on the amount of estuaries in the town. He noted that several towns have applied for grants from the state and/or assistance from environmental organizations.

According to Marion finance director Judith Mooney, Marion is one of those towns. She said the minimum cost for Marion to participate in the project is $18,000. She said the town will likely enter into the project in the future, but not until officials have a better idea of how much money will be available to them.

“We don’t want to jump into anything without knowing how much we are getting,” Mooney said.

Mattapoisett officials could not be immediately reached for comment. (This story will be updated on SippicanVillageSoup.com as more information becomes available.)

“Towns and communities face their own hard financial decisions and we absolutely respect their decision to hold off on the project,” said UMass’ Hoey. “We have been trying to work with communities to find funding.”

He said that, for two years, the project carried on without any state funding, during which time the researchers with the University’s School of Marine Science and Technology volunteered their time to continue testing.

In addition to the lack of funds for the project, Hoey said other delays can be attributed to incorrect land-use data provided by towns. Such data includes acres used for agricultural purposes and areas served by sewer systems as opposed to individual septic systems.

Hoey said the project will carry on despite the claims of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, adding that the University will likely see 10 more reports completed within six months.