Ella Adams
State House News Service
An estimated 8 million gallons of untreated wastewater has been entering the Merrimack River each day since Friday night as a result of a sewer main break in Haverhill, but the city is "optimistic" the situation will be under control in the next 24 hours and the state has mobilized a "whole-of-government" response to help.
"We understand the severity of the event and these guys are going around the clock to get this resolved," Haverhill Department of Public Works Director Bob Ward told the News Service early Tuesday afternoon.
The 42-inch sewer force main transports most of Haverhill's wastewater from the main pumping station to the wastewater treatment plant, according to the city, which said that heavy rainfall last Friday night caused wastewater flows to "increase rapidly" and put greater demand on the pipeline. All wastewater arriving at the pumping station is being discharged via the break into the Merrimack River downstream of downtown Haverhill. The gallon overflow estimate, which is based on the average daily flow through the pump station over the past month, would put the total overflow by end-of-day Tuesday at around 32 million gallons.
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that state agencies have been on the scene since Friday night and promised "continued updates" on the situation, calling it "a 24/7 mission, round the clock, go as quickly as we can to get this remedied."
"We're here in the midst of run up to the Fourth of July, 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," Healey said at a press conference in Haverhill. "That's why we're going to do everything that we can, and have been doing everything we can to get this fixed."
The administration on Monday launched a coordinated response to the overflow. The city of Haverhill and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection are working together, and coordinating with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The Division of Marine Fisheries issued an emergency closure of shellfish growing areas in waters surrounding Gloucester, Newburyport, Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Rockport, Rowley and Salisbury, per the administration. Healey said the closing of shellfish beds "is done as a matter of precaution."
Wildlife Commissioner Tom O'Shea said that once the "leakage" stops "and the river clears out, there's hope then that we can then begin to look at testing that will yield results that we can open up the shellfish areas, but at this time we're just assessing impact on the shellfish areas with testing."
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is testing water quality and will continue to test until conditions are safe, Healey said. The state is monitoring beaches for debris, but hadn't seen any as of Tuesday afternoon, she added. Beaches in Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Newburyport and Salisbury were listed as "closed" as of Tuesday afternoon, according to DPH's Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard. Both Healey and Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said that the beaches are open, just closed for swimming.
"I have heard some people concerned about, you know, celebrations along the Merrimack River. Continue with all of that," Healey said. "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, and we'll really hope that this is able to be fixed by tomorrow."
The city of Haverhill is holding coordination meetings daily and working with contractors to coordinate an emergency response. According to the office of Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett, Xylem Water Solutions and Water Technology is helping with design and installation of a temporary bypass pumping system that will divert wastewater flow around the main's damaged sections and stop the discharge of untreated wastewater into the river. The DeFelice Corporation is helping with construction and repairs, and engineering firm Write-Pierce is providing engineering support.
"I am optimistic that we will have one of the temporary pipes that will take our normal day's flow completely and totally to the waste treatment plant sometime in the next 24 hours. I think that will essentially save the Fourth of July from, you know, ruin," Barrett said.
That bypass line, along with two pumps, are expected to handle dry weather sewage flows to stop the wastewater from entering the river, Ward said. A second, 24-inch bypass line and remainder of the pumps will be installed to take care of wet weather when the flow increases, which Barrett's office predicted would be complete by Sunday.
Ward said early Tuesday afternoon that "things have gone to plan so far."
"This is a temporary system," he added, noting that the city will have to deal with repairs to the pipeline itself once the temporary bypass is in place. That process could take several months, Ward said, as engineers will have to get in the pipe to assess the condition and figure out exactly what happened. The situation "in no way impacts" the city's drinking water, he emphasized.
Barrett said the plant and pipe date back to the early 1970s and called them "aging infrastructure."
Healey also touted her environmental bond bill, which she said "will provide needed funding to aging infrastructure like this."
"I'm hopeful to have that on my desk as soon as this week or next to be able to sign, because these projects are expensive, you know, upgrading CSOs, doing the work around these plants, this is expensive work," Healey said. The House and Senate passed two different versions of the bill, and are expected to hash them out in conference committee. Sens. Julian Cyr, Becca Rausch and Peter Durant were appointed Senate conferees on June 23, and are awaiting the appointment of House negotiators.
"The incident is also a reminder that aging water infrastructure is under increasing stress from more frequent extreme weather. I'm asking for assistance with federal funding for the infrastructure that we need along the Merrimack River, and we'll also look to make use of our state's revolving fund, which also relies on federal funds," Healey added.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, who represents a number of the affected municipalities, called on Monday afternoon for "a full court press from state government." He called for a stoppage of the discharge, intensification of testing and monitoring to understand the "environmental and ecological impacts" of the overflow. He also called for "Immediate, continuing, and effective actions to remediate the damage being done and compensate for its effects."
The wastewater flow "is an emergency with many potentially serious consequences for public health, beachgoers, our commercial and recreational fisheries, the regional economy, and the environment," Tarr said in a statement.
The Healey administration on Tuesday morning issued an advisory urging people in Massachusetts to "take precautions ahead of dangerous heat," as the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for most of the state beginning Wednesday morning and running through Saturday evening. Heat index values could reach up to 110 degrees, the administration said. Additional visitors are also expected to land in Massachusetts this week for 250th anniversary celebrations.
"I do not want another weekend impacted by this, and that's why I'm optimistic that we'll be in good shape for this weekend," Healey said.