More Power Problems In North Andover: Sewage Dump Into Merrimack

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- The Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Sewage Treatment Plant in North Andover lost power around 2 am Monday morning. By the time it was restored at 3 pm, the plant had dumped millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Merrimack River. The plant, which serves North Andover, Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, parts of Dracut and Salem, New Hampshire, was unable to pump sewage into the station for processing.

The facility processes about 17 million gallons of sewage daily. The estimated 8 million gallons of raw sewage was flowing downriver towards Amesbury, Methuen, and Haverhill. A backup generator was operatig, and allowed the sewage to receive preliminary treatment, disinfection and dechlorination before being release into the river.

"We lost all power to our pumping station, which is off site, and the main plant, which is where all of the treatment happens,” sanitary district executive director Cheri Cousens told the Boston Globe.

Because there are no drinking water intake downriver from the plant, the mishap is not expected to impact drinking water. The Globe said the state will work woth the EPA to work on short- and long-term cleanup solutions.

For more on this story, see the Boston Globe. Subscribe to North Andover Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).