Nantucket's Municipal Water System Recovering After Pump Failure

Nantucket's municipal water system is recovering from a pump failure that occurred last Friday night and left storage tanks at critically low levels, but use restrictions and conservation measures remain in place.

The failure of the town's primary pump at the Water Department's North Pasture property prompted an emergency water use ban Saturday morning. While the pump was fixed and back up and running relatively quickly on Saturday, the emergency water use ban was implemented to allow the tanks to be replenished.

"We are gaining," Nantucket Water Department director Mark Willett told the Current on Sunday. "Tanks are climbing. Restrictions are still in place but we are moving in a positive direction." 

The ban includes all non-essential water use, and applies only to properties connected to the municipal water system. While properties with private wells are not subject to the restriction, they are "strongly encouraged to conserve water voluntarily." 

The pump failure occurred at the Water Department's North Pasture property off Polpis Road, where its newest water tank is located. When Willett checked on the system early Saturday morning, he was shocked to see the North Pasture tank was down to 12 feet of water. It usually has about 40 feet.

The Water Department's tank at Washing Pond was down to 68 feet. It is usually at 96 feet.

The entire situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Water Department currently has two of its primary wells - 15 and 16 at Wyer's Valley - shut down due to the plume of PFAS contamination around Toms Way. Had those pumps been in operation, the tank levels would not have dropped so precipitously. 

"Well 14 had an electrical issue and popped breakers - the motor control went into safe mode," Willett said. "It was some type of surge that made it do that. But there was no alarm. We never got an alarm, so we didn't know until Saturday morning. It was only pumping three gallons per minute, not the 900 like it usually does." 

Willett said he has been in touch with Nantucket Fire Department chief Michael Cranson regarding a plan for fire protection while the tanks recover, which could take several days.

"We’ve got it rigged back up and running, and it’s in recovery mode," Willett said of the North Pasture pump. "Right now, all the water is going out to the system. All of our pumps that can be on, are on. Wells 15 and 16 are not (due to PFAS). We're running what we can. But we're just barely meeting the demand with all our pumps, s o we have to overcome that to get water back to North Pasture. I'm hoping that within three days, we could be back up, if everyone is good about it and we all conserve. We're going to be constantly checking it." 

What Is Prohibited:

Effective immediately, all non-essential water use is prohibited. This includes:

• Lawn irrigation (both automatic systems and manual watering)
• Washing of vehicles, sidewalks, driveways, or patios
• Filling of pools, hot tubs, or other water features
• Use of outdoor showers (unless used for health or safety reasons)

Essential indoor water use, such as drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene, remains allowed but should be minimized wherever possible.

Why This Matters:

The combination of drought conditions and the mechanical failure has placed Nantucket’s water system under severe strain. Conserving water now is critical to:

• Rebuilding the island’s depleted water storage over the next few days
• Maintaining sufficient supply for firefighting and public health needs
• Preventing further disruptions to essential services.

How Residents Can Help:

• Stop all outdoor and non-essential water use immediately
• Reduce indoor usage: Delay laundry and dishwasher loads; take shorter showers; turn off taps when not in use
• Share this message with neighbors, contractors, and landscapers