DoomsdaysCW

Millionaires' island is plagued with 'toxic' drinking water that's slowly infecting its inhabitants

By SONYA GUGLIARA
29 June 2025

"Water supplies across a wealthy Massachusetts island have been plagued with toxic 'forever chemicals' that cause a slew of health complications.

"#Nantucket environmental officials have been discovering alarming levels of PFAS in the ritzy enclave's drinking water.

"PFAS, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are long-lasting chemicals that linger in the air, soil and water.

[...]

"What makes Nantucket's dilemma unique is the island's dependency on groundwater.

" 'One is that Nantucket is a sole source aquifer, so all of the water on Nantucket comes from the ground that residents live on top of, whether that’s private wells or the public water supply,' Shapero told the Boston Globe.

" 'So Nantucket really has no alternative options.' "

Read more:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14858137/toxic-drinking-water-inhabitants-nantucket.html

#WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #Massachusetts #Pollution #PFAS #PFOS #ForeverChemicals

Millionaires' island is plagued with 'toxic' drinking water that's slowly infecting its inhabitants

Water supplies across a wealthy Massachusetts island have been plagued with toxic 'forever chemicals' that cause a slew of health complications.

Daily Mail
Jul 1 at 3:08pmWeb
Show threadbouriquetJul 1
@DoomsdaysCW There’s always a desalination plant option $$$.
Show threadDoomsdaysCWJul 1

@bouriquet You know, I thought that could be a solution, but some folks in Australia are thinking that might not be a good idea.

#Desalination and #AlgalBlooms

24 May, 2025

"The recent activation of the #Adelaide desalination plant and the coincidental toxic algal bloom causing the widespread deaths of marine fauna is cause for concern. As shown by the chlorophyll map above, the bloom including the toxic marine alga #KareniaMikimotoi occurred close to the Adelaide plant which discharges brine and maintenance chemicals into a relatively sheltered nearshore environment. Notably, to reduce harmful impacts, dispersion jets are used to rapidly dilute brine and potentially toxic chemicals at the point of discharge. In doing so, the strong jets can mobilise sediments and release nutrients and previously dormant cysts of toxic algal species including algae causing the current devastating bloom. The disturbance to nearshore sediments, and conditions favourable for rapid increase in the growth of toxic algae such as elevated temperature, nutrients, and sunlight, present plausible causes of the bloom. Such conditions are likely to be more prevalent with climate change. Public statements which exclude or aim to diminish the role of desalination discharge as a cause are inconsistent with desalination plants elsewhere in the world which have been associated with harmful algal blooms. This underscores the considerable risk presented by a proposed desalination plant off Port Lincoln which is adjacent to a designated aquaculture zone. It is generally recommended that desalination plants be situated on high energy coastlines away from valuable biological resources."

https://globalmarineresourcemanagement.com.au/2025/05/24/desalination-and-algal-blooms/

Desalination and algal blooms ⋆ Global Marine Resource Management - Dr Paul McShane

... Read More

Global Marine Resource Management - Dr Paul McShane
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 1
@DoomsdaysCW @bouriquet I don't think the desalination plant can be responsible for algal bloom occurring along 1000 km of coastline. The obvious cause is the unusually high sea temperature. There's no evidence that the desalination plant played any role in South Australia.
Show threadDoomsdaysCWJul 1
So, there's no chance that the plant affected things? It would seem that the reduction in oxygen and the additional salination and chemicals could have been a factor. From what I've been reading, this was a concern with Desal plants but seem to have been brush off. I could be wrong... @anne_twain
Show threadbouriquetJul 2
@DoomsdaysCW @anne_twain Everything has an impact one way or another. A desalination plant has to do something with the salt super salty brine process water that has to be diffused back into the ocean somewhere. Then there’s the energy it consumes (option for solar or wind power).
Show threadDoomsdaysCWJul 2
Not just brine! If it were simple solar-powered #desalination, fine. But the new methods involve chemicals to "clean" the water! @bouriquet @anne_twain
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 2
@bouriquet @DoomsdaysCW It's a common human tendency, when we don't know what's causing something, to attribute it to something we do know. That's why we have science, to counter that tendency to jump to conclusions.
80 scientists have met and agreed on 3 plausible contributors to the algal bloom in South Australia. The Pt Stanvac Desalination plant is not one of them. Facts always serve us better than uninformed speculation.
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 2

@DoomsdaysCW The article you've quoted is presenting a hypothesis. The language it uses is tentative - "could have", "plausible cause" etc. The information that the bloom started near the Port Stanvac Desalination plant is also speculation. Nobody knows where it started. We only know when humans started to notice it, which was on beaches facing the Southern Ocean, not in the comparatively sheltered waters of Gulf St Vincent where Pt Stanvac is located. The article is written by a commercial interest, note the Pty Ltd at the end of its name.

A forum of 80 experts in relevant sciences has met in Adelaide and this is what they said:

/2 ( in comments )

Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 2

@DoomsdaysCW
2.
"there are three plausible contributing factors to the bloom:

•The ongoing marine heatwave impacting southern Australian waters since September 2024, with water temperatures 2.5°C warmer than usual, as well as relatively calm marine conditions with little wind and small swells.

•The 2022-23 River Murray flood washing extra nutrients into the sea.

•An unprecedented cold-water upwelling that occurred in the summer of 23-24, which has brought nutrient-rich water to the surface."

(Marine experts come together to tackle SA's algal bloom | WE ARE.SA https://share.google/6KM5jZfNUqPcMHVO9 ) /3

Marine experts come together to tackle SA's algal bloom

Leading aquatic scientists from South Australia, interstate and New Zealand collaborate on phenomenon that's killing sea life.

WE ARE.SA
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 2

@DoomsdaysCW 3. When the algal bloom did enter Gulf St Vincent, it appeared on the western coast, opposite the coast where Pt Stanvac is located, and has only just moved to the eastern coast, where I live, a few km from Pt Stanvac, in the last couple of weeks. It seems to be less concentrated than when it appeared at Waitpinga, but still causing deaths of large and small marine creatures.

I'm not in any way defending the desal plant, I have no interest in it, I just don't want to see a false narrative built up around this. Facts always serve us better.

Show threadDoomsdaysCWJul 2
@anne_twain Thanks for your input! I know there are a few different methods. TBH, just drying it in the Sun like how we used to make salt makes more sense than using chemicals.
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 2
@DoomsdaysCW I don't know how the water is processed at Pt Stanvac, or what chemicals are used, if any.