Waste Water

The Nantucket Sewer Department:

• There are currently no MassDEP mandated PFAS testing requirements.
• The Sewer Department is anticipating MassDEP requirements and has been preapring estimates and testing strategies.
• The Sewer Department completes all MassDEP required permit testing as required daily, weekly and monthly. Sewer Department staff perform many of these tests in house but send a many samples to a certified Lab in Rhode Island.  Current testing includes:
  • Daily PH influent and Effluent both plants (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Daily Temps (required MassDEP permit testing)  
  • Daily Nitrate, Nitrite, Nitrogen and Ammonia at both plants (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Daily MLSS Mixed Liquor testing for Process control. Basically how many bugs and how much food in the system.
  •  Weekly BOD-5 Biochemical Oxygen Demand testing both plants for MassDEP and Process control
  • Weekly BOD-5 Biochemical Oxygen Demand testing both plants (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Weekly Sludge, Filtrate and Sludge Cake in house this is used for process control.
  •  Weekly Oils and Grease for both Plants (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Weekly TSS total suspended solids both influent and effluent (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Weekly Ammonia influent (required MassDEP permit testing) 
  • Monthly Leachate and Brew Waste sent off to state lab
  • Weekly COVID-19 Testing with BioBot
  • Monthly testing for PH, Water Levels and salinity for all 9 sampling wells at Surfside.
• The Sewer Department also has an extensive monthly, quarterly and annually testing set (required MassDEP permit testing)  for Volatile Organic Compounds of wells, Effluents etc. for both plants.
• The Sewer Department assists other Departments to include NR sampling as needed such as sampling for types of paint or other chemical around the island.