Sewerage crisis causes closure of US beach town eateries

Provincetown in state of Massachusetts advises residential properties to flush toilets 'only when absolutely necessary'

Establishments like Tin Pan Alley restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts rely on this time of year for tourist dollars. AP

Provincetown, a popular resort in Cape Cod in the US state of Massachusetts, has declared a sewer emergency and ordered establishments to immediately close along a section of its waterfront.

Residential properties on the affected sewer system were ordered to reduce water use and to flush toilets “only when absolutely necessary”, the town said in a statement.

All public restrooms remained closed on Friday and portable toilets will be provided, the town said.

Officials said the shutdown, which comes during the height of the summer tourist season, was necessary to prevent a further public health emergency.

Thunderstorms this week brought “larger than normal wastewater volume” into the sewer system, causing overflows and damage.

Trunk Bay is named for the leatherback turtles, which are endemic to the islands and locally known as trunks. Photo: Anne Finney / National Parks Service

A leatherback sea turtle roams the sandy shores. Photo: Caroline Rogers / National Parks Service

A leatherback sea turtle returns to the water at the US Virgin Island National Park. Photo: Caroline Rogers / National Parks Service

You might spot a four-eye butterflyfish while snorkeling. Photo: Susanna Pershern / National Parks Service

Salomon Beach, looking west. Photo: Anne Finney / National Parks Service

People come from all over the world to snorkel in the Virgin Islands, where these gray angelfish were spotted. Photo: National Parks Service

Cinnamon Bay Beach is St John's longest beach. Photo: Anne Finney / National Parks Service

Only a select few know Little Cinnamon Beach, west of Cinnamon Bay Beach. Photo: Anne Finney / National Parks Service

Honeymoon Beach is tucked away and often empty. Photo: David Pinardi / National Parks Service

“We need to drastically reduce flow to allow the critical repair work in order to get the town back to full capacity,” town officials said in the statement.

“We are estimating that we need up to 48 hours to make the repairs and get the system back to normal.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report