Massachusetts is coordinating a statewide response as a sewage overflow in Haverhill continues to dump millions of gallons of wastewater into the Merrimack River, aiming to successfully bypass the break by Wednesday.
“I am optimistic that we will have one of the temporary pipes that will take our normal day flow completely and totally to the waste treatment plant sometime in the next 24 hours,” said Haverhill Mayor Melinda Bennett on Tuesday. “I think that will essentially save the Fourth of July from ruin.”
About 8 million gallons of wastewater have been pumped into the Merrimack River each day since the torrential rain Friday night caused two breaks in Haverhill’s 42-inch sewer pipe, local and state officials said.
The breaks occurred at the South Mill Street Pumping Station, letting most of the city’s wastewater overflow directly into the river downstream of downtown Haverhill instead of being taken to the wastewater treatment plant for several days.
Gov. Maura Healey said her administration is launching a “coordinated, whole-of-government response” to the wastewater crisis and is “moving with urgency to safely reopen these beaches and waterways during this important holiday week and expected heat wave.”
Beaches downriver in Ipswich, Newburyport, Essex and Salisbury are open, the governor said, but several are closed to swimming.
“I have heard some people concerned about celebrations along the Merrimack River,” Healey said. “Continue with all of that. We’ve got weddings this weekend. We’ve got all sorts of events going on. Nothing in terms of public safety is impacted by any of that. Again, you can boat, you can use the beaches. We just advise you to stay out of the water.”
The risk is the “level of bacteria in the water” that can get in people’s eyes and mouths and create illness, state officials said, urging the public to pay attention to beach advisories to stay out of the water.
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has also issued an emergency closure of shellfish growing areas around Gloucester, Newburyport, Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Rockport, Rowley, and Salisbury, remaining in effect until “water quality and shellfish testing demonstrate the areas meet public health standards.”
Local and state officials said Tuesday city crews and contractors have been working since the break to install a temporary bypass pipe to stop the flow into the river.
“If we can get the one bypass line on (Wednesday) running, that’s going to be what we need to do right now,” Healey said. “That stuff will now discharge out the Merrimack, and people will be able to comfortably get back in the water again.”
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is testing water quality and will share results with the public as soon as conditions are safe, Healey said.
No debris has yet been found on the beaches, but state officials urged residents who see debris to take a photo and report it through the MyCoast app.
Once the immediate situation is under control, Healey said, the state will launch a full investigation into why the pipe failed, and has retained engineering and design firms to evaluate the system and determine long-term repair and replacement options.
The incident is a “reminder that aging water infrastructure is under increasing stress from more frequent extreme weather,” Healey said, calling on federal funding to address the issue and pointing to state sources that can be used.
“We’re here in the midst of run up to the Fourth of July,” Healey said. “We’ve got an impending heat wave coming, and it is a major disruption, we know, for people, for families, for businesses, for people who’ve rented properties to come and enjoy our coastline, and for communities along the Merrimack River, and that’s why we’re going to do everything that we can, and have been doing everything we can to get this fixed, and to get everything back online as quickly as possible.”
Information on water quality at Massachusetts beaches can be found at DCR’s Park Alerts site.
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