Despite Warning Letter, Nantucket Water Department Head Says Island Has "No Lead Problem"

A select group of property owners across the island recently received letters from the Wannacomet Water Company that were titled “Wannacomet Water Drinking Water Notice” with the subtitle “Your home is served by a service line that may contain lead.” The letters sparked concern among the recipients, but town water director Mark Willett said people do not have anything to worry about.

“There is no lead problem,” Willett told the Current. “This is a MassDEP mandated thing. MassDEP is asking all public water supplies to complete a service line inventory to get a good handle on any potential lead service lines that may exist in the distribution system. This inventory must include all service lines connected to the distribution system. As part of the inventory process, we must supply a verification of the service line material. Wannacomet owns the service line from the water main to the meter pit. Our records can verify the materials used from the water main to the meter. From the meter to the house is owned by the homeowner.”

Willett said that even though the water company does not own the service line from the meter pit to the house, they need to verify the material used in that service line.

“To get verification of the homeowner service line MassDEP required us to send out letters to the homeowners to assist us in determining the material of those homeowner service lines,” he said. “The goal of the service line inventory is to help protect the community from lead in the drinking water from old service lines or potential lead pipes in older homes. There is no lead issue with the water. This is a MassDEP requirement to collect data on the service line material, both on our side and the homeowner side.”

Until the material of the service line is confirmed by Wannacomet and any existing lead is removed, Wannacomet is asking people to run their water for at least one minute or until the water turns cold as a precaution.

“Lead levels increase over time as water sits in lead-containing plumbing materials,” the letter reads. “Before drinking or cooking with your water after it has sat overnight or longer, flush your home’s pipes by running water through the kitchen faucet, taking a shower, or doing any other non-consumptive water usage.”