People are flushing so much cocaine into Nantucket's sewers
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Nantucket's cocaine problem is becoming so apparent that the white stuff is even flowing through the island's sewers.
Why it matters: Wastewater testing on Nantucket revealed cocaine concentrations far above national benchmarks — and town officials aren't sure why.
State of play: Eight months of sampling at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility show the island's cocaine indicators consistently exceed regional and national averages.
- Peak readings in October and December 2025 climbed to nearly three times the national average.
The peak in October found around 3,000 nanograms of coke per liter of wastewater, nearly triple the U.S. average of about 1,000 ng/L.
The intrigue: The island's fentanyl, methamphetamine and opioid readings are all well below average.
Zoom in: Inspectors say the disparity between sewer cocaine levels and benzoylecgonine (BZE) — the substance produced when the body breaks down cocaine — suggests at least some of the sewer drugs got flushed without being consumed.
- This points to possible drug dumping or cocaine being used in combination with alcohol, which alters how the body processes it.
Between the lines: Police Chief Jody Kasper told the Nantucket Current the data doesn't match what police are seeing at street level.
- She says officers aren't routinely finding cocaine on people they stop or arrest.
The big picture: Nantucket's population quadruples in the summer.
- The island draws an affluent crowd to beaches, resorts and multimillion-dollar private homes — perfect for the kinds of wealthy recreational users usually associated with cocaine.
Of note: Nantucket's wastewater program grew out of COVID-19 surveillance efforts.
What's next: The town is looking to partner with rehabilitation facilities and intervention partners if further data signals a real coke crisis.