The text of this article was updated on 2/7/26 to reflect new information.
Just in time for the long July 4th weekend, Massachusetts beaches reopened for swimming on July 1 after a 42-in. The sewer pipe burst in two places on June 26, spilling sewage into the Merrimack River during a severe storm in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Crews worked around the clock to install a temporary bypass pipe to restore the flow of wastewater to the treatment plant.
Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett announced in a July 1 statement that the first of two 24-in. Temporary diversion lines were successfully installed, allowing the wastewater to flow back to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
“Through the tireless efforts of the city’s wastewater staff and contractors Xylem, DeFelice and Wright-Pierce, the sanitary sewer overflow into the Merrimack River has ceased,” he said. This is an important milestone in the emergency response to this unprecedented crisis.”
A second temporary bypass line is under construction, designed to increase temporary bypass capacity to about 30 million gallons per day, sufficient to handle wet weather flows while permanent repairs are made to the 42-in. The main force is underway, Barrett added.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy also stated that state beaches affected by the recent sewage event “were cleared for swimming after water quality tests showed no evidence of elevated bacteria levels. The state will continue to monitor water quality in river areas. Public health officials are advising residents and recreational users to avoid contact with the river near Haverhill and downstream for at least the next 48 hours
Before the diversion pipe was installed, an estimated seven to 10 million gallons of untreated sewage per day flowed into the river, which flows northeast before entering the Atlantic Ocean in Newburyport, Massachusetts, says the city’s director of public works, Robert Ward. But Ward and other officials point out that Haverhill’s drinking water system is separate and unaffected by the sewage spill.
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Large amounts of raw sewage forced swimming beaches and seafood areas in North Boston to close just days before the Fourth of July, the Boston Globe reported.
Elevated levels of bacteria were reported downstream of the sewer line 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 on another project on June 27 and is already “fitting in” a temporary 24-inch line that will go to the wastewater treatment plant, Ward said.
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,” Mayor Barrett said on Facebook, and the merger will begin later that day.
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 contractor DeFelice and water technology consultant 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 the wastewater that flows into the pump station through the break into the Merrimack River downstream of downtown Haverhill, 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 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 has reported combined sewer overflow information on the city’s website.
