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.

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