Most North Shore ocean beaches have fully reopened after the massive Haverhill sewage overflow, though recovery continues as some testing is still showing elevated bacteria levels at different points along the Merrimack River.
Two breaks were found in Haverhill’s 42-inch sewer pipe after torrential rains last Friday night, leading about 8 million gallons of wastewater to spill into the Merrimack River until a temporary bypass line was installed Wednesday.
Beaches downstream were temporarily closed to swimming in Ipswich, Newburyport, Essex and Salisbury following the leak.
As of Thursday, beaches in Ipswich, Essex and Salisbury were reopened, with no postings listed on the state DCR’s Beach Water Quality Dashboard.
Several Newburyport beaches along Plum Island still had state water quality postings as of Thursday.
The Merrimack River Watershed Council continued to warn people unsafe fecal bacteria levels were found at a growing number of testing sites along the river in Wednesday samples.
Of the seven sites tested from Haverhill to the mouth of the river, six were found to to have dangerous levels, up from five on Tuesday and three on Monday. One site at Haverhill was above 15 times the safety limit for E. Coli, the council stated.
“It is important to stress that these results reflect sampling from Wednesday and results can change considerably in 24 hours,” the MRWC stated. “No one should assume these results can determine whether it is safe or unsafe at these locations today.”
The state testing for beach safety occurs outside of the river at ocean-facing beaches, the MRWC stated, noting “ongoing monitoring of state ocean beaches will be important through the weekend as the bacteria works its way downstream” and the council defers to state testing at the beaches.
MRWC reiterated recommendations that “people do not engage with the Merrimack River downstream of Haverhill, including Newburyport Harbor, until further testing can validate that it is safe to do so.” The unsafe conditions will likely extend through the July 4th weekend, the council stated.
City and state officials have noted additional work on an additional bypass line to ensure no overflows in rain events continues, followed by an investigation into the breaks and long-term repair work on pipe infrastructure.
More information and daily results can on MRWC testing can be found at merrimack.org, and DCR data on water quality at beaches can be found at the mass.gov Interactive Water Quality Dashboard.
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