Governor details response to Marramac River wastewater discharge; beaches open but off-limits for swimming

The governor said the state is working around the clock to stop untreated wastewater from entering the Marramac River after a 42-inch wastewater main feeding Haverhill’s South Mill Street Pump Station failed during a severe storm last Friday.

"We're here today because we're focused on stopping the discharge of waste water into the Marramac River as quickly as possible," the governor said, adding that state and local engineers, public-health officials and contractors are on site to install a temporary bypass and monitor conditions.

Why it matters: The failure sent untreated wastewater downriver and prompted advisories that several beaches remain open to the public but are not safe for swimming. Officials named affected areas including Salisbury, Plum Island, Ipswich, Newport and parts of Essex County where shellfish-harvesting areas are closed as a precaution.

On-the-ground work: City crews and contractors have mobilized to install a temporary bypass pipe to restore flow to the treatment plant, and MassDEP engineers are providing technical support, officials said. "We have contractors on site within hours and they started to mobilize," Mayor Melinda Barrett said. Barrett said one 24-inch temporary line was expected to carry the normal daily flow within about 24 hours and that a second 24-inch line with pumps is being added to handle wet-weather surges.

Public-health checks and testing: The Department of Conservation and Recreation is testing water quality and the Division of Marine Fisheries has closed affected shellfish areas while testing continues. "We put out these warnings and advisories through local public health and the real risk here is that if there's a high level of bacteria in the water that people may get that bacteria in their mouth, in their eyes," said Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Robbie Goldstein. He urged residents to heed the advisory and avoid entering the water until tests clear conditions.

Timing and outlook: Officials repeatedly said beaches can be used for shore-based recreation but advised against swimming. The governor expressed optimism that, if the bypass is operating the next day, the river’s flow should carry contaminated water out to sea and testing could allow beaches and shellfish beds to reopen soon. Officials cautioned that heavy additional rainfall could still cause combined-sewer overflows and prolong impacts.

Communications and next steps: Some downstream municipal leaders raised concerns that they were not notified as quickly as they expected; the governor said her team has maintained extensive conversations with mayors and local officials and pledged continued real-time information sharing. The governor also said the city has retained engineering firms to evaluate long-term repair and replacement options and urged federal assistance and use of the state revolving fund to address aging infrastructure.

Numbers and capacity: At the briefing, officials said each 24-inch temporary line can handle about 30 million gallons a day; the mayor estimated that the storm produced roughly 60 million gallons a day, explaining why temporary lines are being installed in stages. Officials said additional testing results will guide reopening decisions.

What happens next: Agencies will continue daily testing of beaches and shellfish areas and share results with the public. The city and state will complete a technical evaluation of permanent repairs and seek federal and state funding for upgrades, and a formal investigation into the cause of the break will follow.

(Reporting note: quotations and summaries are drawn from a governor-led briefing in which Mayor Melinda Barrett, Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Robbie Goldstein and other state and local officials addressed the incident and took questions from reporters.)