Heavy downpours Tuesday overwhelmed Haverhill sewer lines yesterday, bringing raw sewage into the street in one case Tuesday.
Public Works Director Robert E. Ward said a 200- to 300-foot stretch of old brick sewer running from Washington Street to River Street below, between Gilbert Avenue and Ford Street, “blew out” bringing sewage into River Street. He said the street is “a mess with mud,” forcing the city to bring in outside help to not only clean the street, but make long-term repairs. Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini detailed for WHAV at the scene what comes next.
“We had a major, major sewer main break here on River Street. We expect temporary lines to be up and running in about two days, but it’s going to take a couple weeks for the permanent fix. This is a major thing, but we’ve got great crews. They’re on it,” he said.
He said similar problems plagued the city.
“This is really a major, major storm. The fire chief said he never recalls this much rain falling so quickly. We’re looking for the exact amount levels. We’ve got 218 phone calls at the 3-11 office,” the mayor said.
Ward told WHAV an outside company will create temporary fix to bypass the flow, followed by a “pretty big fix.”
Mayoral spokesman Shawn Regan said other overflow problems were reported along Salem Street at Curtis Avenue and Glen Meadow Road and a sink hole was reported in the Highlands neighborhood.