A bypass line was completed in Haverhill on Wednesday afternoon, finally diverting the wastewater flow away from pipe breaks that leaked tens of millions of tons of sewage into the Merrimack River over nearly five days.
“Good news: Crews have successfully installed the first temporary bypass in Haverhill,” the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs department posted Wednesday. “This means that untreated discharges to the Merrimack River have stopped and that typical wastewater flows are being sent to the City’s treatment plant.”
For nearly five days, about 8 million gallons of wastewater a day have been pumped into the Merrimack River due to two breaks in Haverhill’s 42-inch sewer pipe at the South Mill Street Pumping Station.
The breaks happened after torrential rains Friday and let most of the city’s wastewater overflow directly into the river downstream of Haverhill – affecting waters off of Ipswich, Newburyport, Essex and Salisbury. Though beaches in the area remain open, no swim orders were in effect at several following the break.
As of Wednesday, the town of Ipswich posted that five of its beaches, Pavilion, Crane, Steep Hill, Clark, and Little Neck, were found to have safe levels of bacteria and were open for swimming.
On the state’s Beach Water Quality Dashboard, Clammer’s Beach and Front Beach had water quality postings Wednesday, along with the Main and Broadway Street locations of Salisbury Beach. Several Plum Island beaches also had water quality postings in Ipswich and Newburyport.
The Merrimack River Watershed Council warned that more dangerous levels of fecal bacteria had been found at several points in waters downstream of the break in the latest Tuesday samples.
“MRWC recommends that people do not engage with the Merrimack River downstream of Haverhill, including Newburyport Harbor, until testing can validate that it is safe to do so,” the council stated. “Unsafe conditions will likely extend through the July 4th Weekend.”
The council said the event “is a concern for people and wildlife during the time bacteria levels are elevated,” but “not necessarily a long-term catastrophe for the river, if the repair is completed in a timely manner.”
Of the seven sites tested downstream, the Route 113 Bridge, Ferry Park, Route 1 Bridge, Newburyport Harbor Master and Salisbury Beach River Side were found to have unsafe levels of bacteria on Tuesday — up two from the three sites found to be unsafe Monday.
The city of Haverhill said that after the temporary bypass was finished Wednesday, crews would be installing a second bypass line planned to be completed by Sunday. The second line with pumps will help to get all “normal wet weather” to the station, though some overflow could occur if there’s another “deluge like we had Friday night,” Haverhill Mayor Melinda Bennett said.
Haverhill stated that drinking water was not effected during the overflow and the sewer system remained functional for residents’ use.
State officials said during a press conference that a full investigation into the pipe failure would launch once the immediate situation was under control. The city “already retained engineering and design firms to begin that work to evaluate the system and to determine long term repair and replacement options,” officials noted.
“We will be able to handle our regular flow,” Bennett said of the bypasses. “And we hope with the speed and the amount of water that flows through the Merrimack, that it flows quickly out to sea, leaving our downstream neighbors safe to enjoy the river, and especially safe to enjoy all the beaches”
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