North Shore Legislators Push For $50M To Repair Pipes After Sewer Rupture

SALEM, MA — An additional $10 million in federal funding is proposed for the North Shore for wastewater infrastructure in the wake of a massive sewer rupture that closed beaches from Ipswich to Plum Island to Salisbury around the July 4 weekend.

U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Lori Trahan pushed for the funding that will go toward repairing the Haverhill infrastructure, whose rupture resulted in eight million gallons a day of untreated wastewater flowing into the Merrimack River, then downstream to coastal beaches.

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Moulton said he offered the amendment to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that raised the authorization for Haverhill from $40 million to $50 million.

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During a torrential rainstorm on June 26, a 42-inch force main carrying most of the city's wastewater from the South Mill Street Pumping Station to the Haverhill Wastewater Treatment Plant was overwhelmed and broke in two places.

The city of Haverhill, working with state and federal partners, halted the discharge on July 1 by installing a temporary bypass system, but permanent repairs to the force main are still underway, and subsequent rainstorms have continued to raise bacteria levels in the river.

"This CSO has been devastating to communities, clammers and shoreside industries downstream from Haverhill," Moulton said. "Haverhill's sewer system is one of the oldest in the country, and a temporary bypass is not an acceptable solution.

"These CSOs are polluting our environment and compromising public health, and we need to work across all levels of government to find a permanent solution. The funding that is authorized by my amendment, if funded by appropriators, will make sure we finish the job once and for all.

"No family in Massachusetts should have to wonder if their beach is safe to swim at again."

The bill now moves to consideration by the full House of Representatives.

If passed, the increased Haverhill authorization would need to be funded through a future appropriations bill before the city could draw on the additional federal support.