DUXBURY — Oct. 5, 2026 — Sitting as Water and Sewer Commissioners, the Duxbury Selectboard on Monday opened a hearing on a proposed town-wide moratorium on new water connections, a pause the chair said would give the town about a year to plan for a system long out of compliance with its state withdrawal permit. Earlier, the board announced it will pursue acquiring the property known as Miramar.
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The moratorium would halt new hookups to the town water system, not construction, Chair Amy MacNab said in a statement. The draft goes to the Water and Sewer Advisory Board for comment, no testimony was taken Monday, and the hearing will continue Nov. 9, MacNab said.
The town exceeded its Water Management Act permit limit by about 18.25 million gallons in 2025 alone, MacNab said. Irrigation rules and this summer’s watering restrictions have it projected to stay within its permitted withdrawal in 2026 for the first time in decades, but droughts are growing more frequent and filtering out PFAS will be costly, MacNab said.
When faced with a serious problem, the first thing we need to do is stop making it worse. We need to stop digging the hole before we figure out how to climb out of it.
— Amy MacNab, Selectboard Chair 46:41
The pause would buy about a year to verify assumptions and build a long-term plan, MacNab said, adding that town counsel had found it appropriate and legal and that connections would resume once it lifts.
The commissioners left this summer’s outdoor watering restrictions in place without a vote. Watering is allowed once a week under the current Level 1 drought, and the water and sewer superintendent expects the state drought task force to lift all restrictions when it meets Thursday. Member Fernando Guitart argued the ban and the moratorium are tied, asking how the town could pause new connections while letting consumption climb. MacNab agreed, saying the only time in 20 years the town met its permit was when outdoor watering was barred entirely.
Earlier, during open forum, MacNab read a statement that the board, after hearing from constituents, has determined it is in the town’s best interest to acquire the property known as Miramar, calling it essential to protecting drinking water, groundwater recharge, open space and natural resources. The town will begin efforts to acquire it and will likely bring a request to Town Meeting soon, the statement said. MacNab said the matter was not up for discussion Monday and that more would follow.
