Millions of gallons of sewage dumped
Storm forces wastewater treatment plants to let-off into Merrimack River
Five wastewater treatment plants have reported releasing raw sewage and storm water into the Merrimack River during Thursday morning’s heavy rainstorm, according to the Merrimack River Watershed Council.
Nashua and Manchester, N.H., and Haverhill, Lowell and the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District all reported combined sewer overflows due to the storm, which dumped more than 2 inches of rain in some areas, said council co-director John Macone, who estimated the amount of raw sewage released into the river to be in the millions of gallons.
“When you get a big rainstorm, to prevent sewage from backing up into people’s houses, they have to release it into the river,” Macone said. “It’s important to test the water afterward to see what the bacteria level is. This is an issue of significant concern for those of us who boat, paddle, fish and swim in the Merrimack, and for the more than 600,000 people who get their drinking water from the river.”
Health officials advise that direct contact with the water should be avoided for 48 hours after a discharge. Dog owners should also keep their dogs from swimming in the river during that period.
Technically, releasing raw sewage into the Merrimack is a violation of the Clean Water Act, Macone said, but the plants have permission to do so from the Environmental Protection Agency, although all are legally bound to gradually eliminate the release of sewage into the the river.
“It’ll take decades and hundreds of millions of dollars,” Macone said.
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and Rep. Seth Moulton have filed bills that would allow sewage treatment plants to get federal funding to help pay for the upgrades, he said.
Combined sewers are typically found in older cities, where the same pipe is used for sewer and storm water, said Robert Ward, Haverhill’s deputy Department of Public Works director.
Haverhill alone has spent at least $25 million to reduce overflows by upgrading its sewage treatment plant, he said. The city expects to spend another $15 million to $20 million to install separate sewer and storm-water pipes.
MRWC estimates that in 2018 alone, at least 770 million gallons of untreated sewage were dumped into the Merrimack River due to combined sewer overflows from six urban sewage treatment systems in the Merrimack watershed.