HAVERHILL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — As a major heatwave is expected to hit Massachusetts, multiple beaches on the North Shore have been closed because of a major leakage of raw sewage into the Merrimack River.
The Haverhill Mayor's Office said about 8 million gallons of wastewater are pouring into the river per day. According to officials, heavy rainfall caused the pipeline to break in two separate places outside of the South Mill Street Pump Station.
The Haverhill Mayor's Office said they have crews working 24 hours a day to install a temporary bypass sewer system.
This comes on the heels of a sewer overflow on Thursday. The City of Newburyport said about 60,000 gallons of wastewater had been dumped into the Merrimack River.
Plum Island Beach was closed and was set to reopen on Saturday before the main force failure happened a day later in Haverhill. The city said in a press release on Monday that the beach would remain closed to swimming "until the discharge has stopped, repairs have been completed, and water quality testing confirms that conditions are safe for the public."
"We are facing what could become both a public health emergency and an economic hardship for many of our local businesses that depend on visitors during one of the busiest weeks of the year," said Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon in a statement.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has a list of beaches that are currently closed.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Madison Rogers (@madisonWBZ) reports.
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