Wastewater testing reveals high levels of cocaine in Nantucket, Massachusetts | Massachusetts

Tests of sewage at an upscale Massachusetts resort revealed surprisingly high levels of cocaine – up to three times the national average.

Officials in the town of Nantucket, on the eponymous island off Cape Cod, began testing its wastewater last summer “to monitor high-risk substances and opioids in the community.”

The secluded island, located southeast of Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean, is an upscale and popular summer retreat for the wealthy, with sandy beaches, quaint cedar-shingled buildings and cobblestone streets, as well as lighthouses and classic New England seafood.

He is known as a favorite of celebrities and high-profile politicians, including former US Presidents John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.

While initial results in September showed cocaine presence already 50% higher than that found nationally, surges in October and December caused levels to rise to “dangerous quantities” on the island, according to the city’s Department of Health and Human Services.

“Nantucket, like communities across the country, is not immune to the growing public health crisis related to substance abuse and overdoses,” said a statement posted on the official website of the City and County of Nantucket. He noted that the city’s population quadruples during the summer, presenting a “unique behavioral health risk management challenge.”

The results showed that cocaine levels peaked on October 14 last year at 2,948.70 nanograms per liter, almost three times higher than the U.S. average of around 900 to 1,000 ng/L, and even higher than the regional average.

Nantucket’s number again exceeded 2,800 ng/L three days before Christmas.

“The data will help identify concerning trends, such as a sustained increase in certain drug markers, which can guide timely, evidence-based interventions. If a prolonged spike in stimulant use is observed, the City can coordinate educational actions, screening efforts, or peer-led recovery support tailored to that substance,” the release said.

Tests, meanwhile, showed levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine well below regional and national averages, a clear indication that cocaine remains the recreational drug of choice in a city known for being the playground of the fashionable rich and famous.

In addition to human consumption of cocaine, measured by the presence in samples of its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BZE), authorities said evidence suggested quantities of the drug had been dumped into water infrastructure.

“Some of the cocaine entering the sewers did not originate from typical human metabolism,” the report said.

“This pattern often appears when unused cocaine is dumped or disposed of, creating a cocaine spike that is not reflected in the BZE.”

Roque Miramontes, the city’s public health director, said in an interview with local media that more testing was needed to help authorities develop a counter-strategy.

“For high-risk substances and opioids, a sustained increase over several weeks may be a stronger indicator for intervention. We are sharing the data now to begin providing community behavioral health partners with actionable information,” he told the Nantucket Inquirer.