Nashua Sewer Drain Death: Safety Inspections Ordered

NASHUA, NH — Street drains across Nashua will be inspected this week after authorities said a city teen fell through one and drowned.

Jacob Goulet, 16, was walking to a friend's house Friday during torrential rain when he tumbled down a sewer interceptor — a large pipe that receives combined and stormwater — near the Main Street Bridge. The pipe empties in the Merrimack River. Goulet's body floated in the river about 10 miles south before being discovered in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.

While it's possible Friday's heavy rain dislodged the sewer cover, authorities said they have not yet determined the cause.

City officials said safety inspections will be conducted on street drains across Nashua, especially near crosswalks and other areas where people congregate.

"The Division of Public Works has committed to measures designed to minimize the unlikely possibility of a repeat incident," officials said in a statement.

They said those measures include:

• Securing all city sewer interceptor covers with tamper-proof bolts and locks
• Replacing aluminum interceptor covers with steel ones
• Inspecting and bolting manhole covers at sidewalks and crosswalks

Anyone who comes across a missing or unsecured street drain cover is asked to contact public works at 603-589-3140.

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Photo: eatoncounty.org