HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - Millions of gallons of wastewater has spilled into the Merrimack River each day, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, due to the rupture of two sewer pipes during a storm Friday night.
Contractors are working around the clock on an emergency bypass pipeline that will send the wastewater from the pumping station to Haverhill’s wastewater treatment facility.
“The plan is to get one line online to get the sewage out of the river as soon as possible,” said Bob Ward, Haverhill’s department of public works director.
Governor Maura Healey met with the mayor of Haverhill Tuesday afternoon to update the public.
“I want those beaches open for swimming as quickly as possible,” Healey said. “We want that. We want the shellfish beds open as well.”
Until testing confirms the water is safe, beaches in Ipswich, Salisbury, and Newburyport are closed for swimming, and the state has put a pause to harvesting shellfish in the area.
With both a heat wave and a holiday weekend on the horizon, beachgoers and fishermen alike are growing concerned.
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