After a 42-inch Massachusetts sewer pipe burst in two places on June 26, spilling sewage into the Merrimack River during a heavy storm in Haverhill, crews are working around the clock to install a temporary bypass pipe to restore sewage flow to the treatment plant.
“Our agencies have launched a coordinated response to support the city and support contractors to help restore normal operations as quickly as possible,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy said at a press conference on June 30.
“I’m optimistic that we will have one of the temporary pipelines that will bring our normal daily flow completely and entirely to the waste treatment plant within the next 24 hours,” Mayor Barrett said at a June 30 press conference with Governor Healey.
An estimated seven to ten million gallons of untreated sewage a day flows into the river, says city Public Works Director Robert Ward. But Ward and other officials point out that Haverhill’s drinking water system is separate and unaffected by the sewage spill.
Meanwhile, the massive overflow of raw sewage has forced swimming beaches and seafood areas in North Boston to close just days before the Fourth of July, the Boston Globe reported.
Downstream of the sewer line, high levels of bacteria have been reported at beaches, including Plum Island, which is experiencing “dangerous levels of bacteria,” the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge website says.
Bypass installation
The mayor and DPW director Ward told nonprofit news service WHAV on June 27 that the city responded quickly by placing an emergency contractor on site within hours. Defelice Corp. was working at the site on another project on June 27 and is already “fitting in” a temporary 24 line that will go to the wastewater treatment plant, Ward said.
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Beginning June 29, “a 24-inch bypass line designed to handle dry weather flows was installed in 500-foot to 700-foot sections from the pump station to the [wastewater treatment] plant,” with the merger set to begin later that day, Haverhill Mayor Barrett said on Facebook.
The “delivery and installation of two of the five pumps” was also to begin that day. The two pumps and single bypass line will handle dry weather sewage flows to stop the flow of sewage into the river, he notes.
Installation of a second bypass line and the remaining three pumps will follow the initial bypass work with a July 5 deadline, Barrett says.
Emergency Response
The city’s emergency response is underway with help from Defelice, Xylem for the temporary diversion work, and environmental engineering firm Wright-Pierce, the mayor said on Facebook. Wright Pierce is providing technical support throughout the emergency response, including primary force status assessment and repair options.
“The city retained Xylem immediately after the main failure to design and install a temporary bypass pumping system that will transport wastewater around the damaged sections of the main,” Barret said on the city’s Facebook page. Xylem arrived on June 27 and has completed its evaluation.
Because of the break near the South Mill Street pump station, the city is dumping all wastewater flowing into the pump station through the break into the Merrimack River downstream of downtown Haverhiill, Barrett noted.
Funding requests
Healey added that the combined sewer overflow (CSO) event is “also a reminder that aging water infrastructure is under increasing stress from more frequent extreme weather.” He said he is seeking federal funding for the infrastructure needed to replace aging water infrastructure and will also rely on the Massachusetts Revolving Fund designed to help communities meet Clean Water Act standards.
In two weeks, he said he hopes to sign the Mass Ready Act, “a law that will provide the necessary funding for aging infrastructure like this.”
And once the immediate emergency is resolved, he said he would ensure a full investigation into the pipe failure is launched.
Ward said the city has filed all necessary notifications with state and federal environmental agencies and reported combined sewer overflow (CSP) information on the city’s website.
