[FoxNews] Nantucket authorities launched wastewater testing program this summer to monitor island-wide drug trends.
The sewage in New England's exclusive Nantucket retreat is full of cocaine, according to local authorities, who this summer began testing it to monitor potential drug use in a popular summer getaway for the rich and powerful.
"During COVID, a lot of these communities, and most communities, decided that it was important for them to start testing the water to see if there were any spikes in COVID in the region." said Randolph Rice, a Maryland attorney and legal analyst. "But what Nantucket has now decided to do as of the beginning of the summer is to actually start testing for other types of substances, particularly drugs, nicotine and other items…within the system there. And what they're finding is that there is a high level of cocaine."
The testing, conducted at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility on Nantucket, found cocaine levels about 50% higher than the national average, according to publicly posted data from local authorities. The same tests found below-average levels of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid blamed for overdoses around the country.
Local health officials announced the wastewater testing program would begin earlier this summer. The island's treatment plant serves about three-quarters of local homes, which authorities said would give them access to "island-wide trends without identifying individuals or neighborhoods" – protecting privacy while giving health officials a glimpse into what's going on behind closed doors.
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