Local News
Officials are still urging people to avoid contact with the river near Haverhill and downstream for at least 48 hours.
Heavy rain caused a sewer force main to break near the South Mill Street Pumping Station in Haverhill. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe
The millions of gallons of untreated sewage that had been pouring into the Merrimack River since last Friday after a wastewater main failure in Haverhill have stopped flowing into the river, city officials announced Wednesday.
Contractors successfully installed the first 24-inch temporary bypass pipeline, allowing wastewater to flow from Haverhill’s South Mill Street Pump Station to the city’s wastewater treatment plant instead of into the river, Mayor Melinda Barrett of Haverhill said in a statement.
“This is a major milestone in the emergency response,” Barrett said. “Stopping the discharge into the Merrimack River has been our highest priority since this incident began. Contractors and engineers have worked around the clock over the past several days to make this happen.”
The failure of a 42-inch wastewater main connected to Haverhill’s South Mill Street Pump Station during thunderstorms last Friday sent an estimated 8 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Merrimack River each day, according to Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon.
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that state agencies, Haverhill officials, and contractors had begun coordinating an emergency response to install a temporary bypass system that would restore wastewater flow to the city’s treatment plant and stop the discharge.
The sewage spill prompted swimming closures at beaches downriver in Ipswich, Newburyport, Essex, and Salisbury, while the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries also temporarily closed shellfish growing areas in Gloucester, Newburyport, Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Rockport, Rowley, and Salisbury.
Despite the overflow ending, Barrett said the public should continue to avoid contact with the Merrimack River near Haverhill and downstream for at least the next 48 hours “due to the potential presence of elevated bacteria and other pollutants.”
Some restrictions have already begun to lift. Ipswich officials announced Wednesday afternoon that all of its beaches, including Pavilion, Crane, Steep Hill, Clark, and Little Neck are open for swimming again following two consecutive days of tests that showed bacteria levels were below “the state’s threshold for concern.”
Still, Ipswich’s Sandy Point beach remains closed, according to the state’s interactive beach water quality dashboard.
The dashboard additionally lists Clammer’s Beach and Front Beach in Essex as closed to swimming, along with Newburyport’s Plum Island and Salisbury Beach Center.
Millions of gallons of city waste water spilled into the Merrimack River after a wastewater main break. – Jonathan Wiggs / Globe Staff
While these beaches are closed for swimming, other recreational activities are still allowed, Healey said at a Tuesday press conference. She also noted that the Merrimack River flows water out to sea quickly, which could allow officials to uplift the swimming advisory before the Fourth of July weekend.
Barrett said Haverhill officials are continuing to work with Xylem, DeFelice Corporation, and Wright-Pierce to complete the emergency response. Crews are expected to install a second temporary 24-inch bypass pipeline, aiming to increase the system’s capacity to about 30 million gallons a day.
“Once completed, the second bypass line will provide sufficient capacity to convey much of the wet weather flows while permanent repairs to the damaged force main are completed,” Barrett said.
With the first bypass line now operational, crews will continue excavating the damaged sections of the 42-inch force main, inspecting the pipeline, and conducting engineering evaluations before permanent repairs begin, according to Barrett.
Barrett noted that sewer service for residents and businesses remained fully operational throughout the emergency response and that Haverhill’s drinking water system has not been impacted.
“The City will continue to provide updates as work progresses toward completing the bypass system and permanently repairing the force main,” Barrett said.
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