Rockport sewerage overflow sends 500,000 gallons into Sandy Bay; shellfish beds closed

May 11, 2023

ROCKPORT — Town and and state officials Friday are responding to a 500,000 gallon sewage overflow that poured into Sandy Bay on Thursday, complicated by a fire Friday at the Dock Square Pump Station.

The spill also prompted the state to close local shellfish beds for 21 days.

The overflow reportedly began at 2 p.m. Thursday when sewage began to overflow at the Dock Square Pump Station. According to the town Department of Public Works, the flow ended that night at 8:30. On Friday, the pump station is partially operational and engineers are working to get it fully restored.

The sanitation trucks came and went Thursday from the area near Dock Square, transporting raw sewage. The pump station was back online at 10:45 p.m., according to town officials in a posting through the town's CodeRed system, and was partially online Friday morning when "a small fire broke out in the station as crews were working to energize the electrical panel, which took the pump station offline again," town officials said. "The Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire and vented the building from the smoke conditions that had developed."

During the fire, pump trucks were in place pumping wastewater and transporting it to the town's treatment facility.

"There is also a discharge into the south Basin at T Wharf, that is anticipated to cease shortly," read a posting from the town at 3 p.m. "A large generator is on-site from the NERAC facility in Beverly and is operating up to three pumps in the pump station. The pumps are now catching up and it is anticipated that the pump trucks will be able to cease their operations shortly."

Police are advising commuters and pedestrians to avoid the downtown area, with the large number of pump trucks traversing to and from the site; utility crews and town vehicles also on scene.

"At no time has the town's drinking water been impacted," the posting reads. "That remains safe to consume."

Town officials are asking residents to minimize their water usage at this time, especially during the evening peak use times of 4 to 7 p.m.

"Water from washing machines and other home appliances in all parts town goes into the sewer system and impacts the Dock Square station," the posting continues. "If you can delay laundry, running the dishwasher and the like, you are requested to do so."

"The sewage overflow consists, or likely consists, of untreated or partially treated sewage and waste," said Robert Craig, geographical information systems program manager for Public Works. He advised people to avoid contact with the affected waters for at least 48 hours after the discharge or overflow ends, due to increased health risks from bacteria and other pollutants.

Shellfish beds closed

Rockport Harbormasters Scott Story and Rosemary Lesch both reported Friday that according to the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the shellfish beds in the area will be closed for 21 days.

"The Division of Marine Fisheries has closed shell fishing area N11.0 in the town of Rockport this afternoon (Friday) at approximately 11:30 a.m. upon learning of a sanitary sewer overflow from a pump station that occurred from 2 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2023 ,to 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2023," reads a Friday, Jan. 27, letter from Daniel McKiernan, director at the Division of Marine Fisheries in Boston, to the Rockport Select Board,

"As a result, the status of this area has been changed to "Closed to Shell Fishing" for 21 days or until further notification is made by the Division of Marine Fisheries."

In addition, the agency says the approved classification area is closed to the harvest of shellfish for direct human consumption.

"Digging, harvesting or collecting and/or attempting to dig, harvest or collect shellfish and the possession of shellfish from the below defined area is prohibited."

"People should avoid contact with the water in Sandy Bay and Rockport Harbor," said Story.

Story said he has seen sewage overflows in the past "but not quite this large."

"Fortunately, at this time of the year, most of our fishermen are out of the water," said Story. "So, it's not a huge impact at this time of the year."

In a Friday morning e-mail to Vieira, town officials and members of the media, Craig said notification of the event is the result of a new state law, "An Act Promoting Awareness of Sewage in Public Water," designed to notify residents when untreated sewage flows in Massachusetts waters.

EPA: As many as 75,000 sewer overflows each year in U.S.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that sanitary sewer overflows cause the release of untreated or partially treated sewage.

According to the EPA, sanitary sewers are different than combined sewers which are designed to collect large volumes of storm water, in addition to sewage and industrial waste water.

The EPA reports that sanitary sewers will release raw sewage. These types of releases are called sanitary overflows (SSOs). SSOs can contaminate water systems, causing serious water quality problems and back-up into homes.

They can also cause property damage and threaten public health, according to the EPA.

The EPA estimates there are between as many as 75,000 SSOs each year in the United States.

Those with questions about the incident are encouraged to contact the DPW's Craig at [email protected] or by telephone at 978-546-3525.

Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at [email protected].

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