NLWC News

Vote NO on Article 59

May 20, 2024

The NLWC has observed that the rise of the commercial short-term rental (STR) industry contributes to and incentivizes an intense (re)development of properties on Nantucket designed to deliver the highest rate of return. This is often accomplished by maximizing properties with buildings, bedrooms and amenities intended to meet the expectations of prospective occupants. This decreases open space and habitat in neighborhoods, escalates the intensity of use, and puts increasing pressure on the island’s resources jeopardizing the health of our drinking water, ponds and harbors, and our shared infrastructure such as solid waste and storm-water management, water and sewer.


Article 59 is identical to the previously-defeated Article 42 at the 2022 ATM and Article 2 at the 2023 STM. This article MUST BE DEFEATED because it would legalize unlimited commercial STRs as a primary use for houses in all our residential districts across the island. If this right is granted under zoning it cannot be taken away and could open up the floodgates for STR investment. Allowing commercial STRs in residential districts would have long-term adverse, and potentially irreversible impacts on our environment and the health of our community. Moreover, recent court rulings have confirmed that STRs are a commercial use that is not legal in residential districts.


NLWC supports allowing STRs as an accessory use in residential districts protecting residents’ ability to rent their homes so long as they are using it primarily as a residence. NLWC would support balanced By-Law proposals that reasonably limit STRs to Nantucket residents, ensure effective regulation by our Town government, and are consistent with our local traditions. NLWC opposes STRs for commercial or investment purposes.


The commercial short-term rental industry, if unchecked, threatens to irreparably harm our Island’s environment and therefore our community’s vitality, health and quality of life. Obviously, this is an outcome that we all want to prevent.


If maintaining a healthy environment, community and quality of life on Nantucketis important to you, please attend Town Meeting and vote a resounding NO on Article 59.

NLWC Launches PFAS Well Testing Reimbursement Program

October 29, 2026
The NLWC is pleased to announce the launch of our PFAS Well Testing Reimbursement Program , an initiative aimed at reducing financial barriers to drinking water testing and improving accessibility to informed drinking water decisions. Made possible by the Nantucket Land & Water Council’s Water Fund, with generous support from ReMain Nantucket and the Madaket Conservation Association . PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of widely used synthetic chemicals found in many everyday products. Often referred to as "forever chemicals" because of their persistence in the environment, PFAS can enter groundwater and contaminate drinking water supplies . Long-term exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to a range of adverse health effects. For Nantucket residents who rely on private wells, testing is the only way to know whether PFAS are present in their drinking water . The Town of Nantucket Health and Human Services Department offers PFAS well testing through Barnstable County Laboratory, with test kits available at 131 Pleasant Street.

MassDEP Casts Doubt on 'Sconset Beach Geotube Expansion

September 10, 2026
On August 31st, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a letter rebuking the efforts of Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) to expand the geotube project on Sconset Beach . Nantucket Land & Water Council (NLWC) along with over a dozen Nantucket residents, including members of the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy (collectively “Appellants”), appealed the Conservation Commission’s March 2025 approval of an Order of Conditions for the geotube expansion. Now seventeen months later, DEP’s letter dated August 31, 2026, casts grave doubt on whether the expansion project will be approved by the state agency . T his setback follows the denial of a license for the project at Town Meeting last spring.

Letter from the Nantucket Waterkeeper

September 1, 2026
To the Editor,  This letter is about the water situation on the island. As the Nantucket Waterkeeper, I measure the water levels in our aquifer every month (a half-century tradition of the Nantucket Land & Water Council) at ten wells across the island from ’Sconset to Madaket. These wells are simply metal or pvc pipes installed just far enough below the surface to reach and measure the ups and downs of our aquifer. This data is used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It's also available to the public on USGS’s website- The exact well used to determine if we’re in a drought or not is well #228 . You’ll notice that it continues to trend downward. With the exception of two very shallow wells in Madaket which have shown some recovery from recent rain, the other seven wells across the island continue to trend downward.
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