Provincetown declares ‘sewer emergency,’ orders residents to shower, flush only when ‘absolutely necessary’

Officials in Provincetown, Mass., declared a “sewer emergency” on Thursday, closing several restaurants and ordering visitors to flush only “when absolutely necessary” in the popular Cape Cod resort town.

The announcement came two days after a thunderstorm hit the beloved seaside area commonly called P-Town, causing a malfunction in its sewage system at the height of the busy summer season.

“Due to this afternoon’s thunderstorms, the central vacuum station, [which] runs the downtown sewer system, is currently having electrical issues,” officials said in a statement Tuesday evening.

Extra staff was called and crews worked overnight on the town’s sewer system, but “the larger than normal wastewater volume sent into the sewer system … hampered our ability to make the necessary repairs,” the town announced late Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, a “sewer emergency” was declared. Food establishments along a section of P-Town’s bustling waterfront were ordered to close for 48 hours.

All public restrooms were closed, and 18 portable toilets were set up on Ryder St. next to Town Hall — where long lines could be seen throughout the day, according to local television station WBZ-TV.

“Any restaurant or food service business in this service area will need to cease operations immediately,” Town Manager Alex Morse said in a statement.

“This is necessary to prevent a further public health emergency caused by sewer overflows, and we need to drastically reduce flow to allow the critical repair work in order to get the town back to full capacity,” he added.

According to Morse, officials estimated that crews would take up to 48 hours to make the necessary repairs to get the system back to normal.

During that time, “any residential property on this system must reduce water use, including dishwashing, laundry, showering, and only flush when absolutely necessary,” he added.

In a Friday morning update, town officials said, “We continue to make progress and we are moving in the right direction.” But more work still needs to be done.

“The sewer emergency for properties on the vacuum sewer system is still in place at this time,” officials said.