Land Bank Agrees To Restrict Milestone Road Property To Increase Town's Water Withdrawal Permit

The Land Bank Commission has voted unanimously to set aside a parcel of land off Milestone Road for drinking water mitigation, which allows the town to withdraw more water from the island’s aquifer.

The restriction passed with little discussion at the Land Bank’s meeting on Tuesday, with all commissioners supporting the decision.

An existing conservation restriction already limited the potential uses of the land, which is located near North Pasture, and the additional water supply restriction does not meaningfully change what the Land Bank can do with the plot. It will be held for natural conservation and walking.

In Massachusetts, voluntary conservation restrictions on land near public drinking water wells can be used to protect the water beneath from development and other intense use.

The news comes as the Wannacomet Water Company prepares to open a new well in North Pasture, off Polpis Road, in hopes of supplying the town with an additional water source. While the drought conditions that have plagued Nantucket for nearly a year are finally easing, the island isn’t clear of the drought yet, and, especially as climate change continues to change precipitation patterns, it is always possible that there is another dry summer on the horizon.

Water Director Mark Willett previously praised the Land Bank for the decision, saying that they deserve “big kudos.”

“When that well gets turned on, if we're in a drought situation again next year, when the new well is up and running, we're going to have more water and more availability of water to pump in our permit because of the Land Bank,” Willett said. “It just gives us more freedom and more flexibility to manage the situation we're in.”

How much water? Willett projected that the state withdrawal permit for the town’s public water wells could increase from 20.6 million gallons per day to 21.4 million gallons.