HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - As New Englanders deal with high heat, North Shore beachgoers can breathe a sigh of relief: the Merrimack River sewage spill has been contained and beaches are back open for swimming.
After getting clean water test results two days in a row, the state reopened beaches in Newburyport and Salisbury to swimmers.
People were told to stay out of the water after a broken sewage pipe in Haverhill started pumping millions of gallons of wastewater into the Merrimack River, flowing into the ocean.
The news came as a gut punch for local families ahead of a heat wave and the Fourth of July holiday.
On Wednesday, Haverhill installed a 24-inch bypass line, redirecting sewage to the treatment plant. Despite the temporary fix, the public works director said there is still much work to be done.
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