Capital work

Construction projects

Haverhill is separating its combined sewers neighbourhood by neighbourhood and replacing aging mains alongside them. Here is what is funded, what is in the ground, and what it costs.

If work is on your street

Your water stays on

Installing above-ground temporary water bypass lines is standard procedure whenever an existing water main is being replaced or serviced. You may see hoses running along the kerb for weeks — that is the bypass keeping your service connected while the main beneath is replaced.

In construction

Construction

Locke Street Area Phase 2 — Combined Sewer Separation and Water Improvements

$18,570,700

CWSRF No. 18993

New storm drains, manholes and catch basins, sewer pipe rehabilitation, water main improvements, and site restoration with paving. Separating the combined sewers reduces the quantity and frequency of overflows to the Merrimack River in this drainage area.

Timeline: Underway
Funding: Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Breakdown: Includes an approximately $14,667,000 Clean Water Trust loan

Construction

Locke Street Area Phase 1 — Combined Sewer Separation and Water Improvements

$15,400,000

CWSRF No. 16878

New storm drains, manholes and catch basins, sewer pipe rehabilitation, water main improvements, and site restoration with paving, to reduce combined sewer overflows in the project area.

Timeline: Underway
Funding: Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Breakdown: Includes an approximately $9,250,000 Clean Water Trust loan

Construction

Phase 3 — 2022 Water and Sewer Improvements

$16,400,000

IFB0 18.22 · DWSRF No. 6889 · CWSRF No. 6816

Water and sewer replacement across several neighbourhoods. Above-ground temporary water bypass lines are standard procedure whenever an existing main is replaced or serviced, so service continues during the work.

Where

Primrose Street, Ninth Avenue to Winter Street — water, sewer, drain and sidewalks
Smiley Avenue neighbourhood — water and sewer replacement
Fourth, Pentucket, Washington, Race, Moore, Maple and Green Streets, and Montclair Road — sewer replacement
River Street, Bradley Avenue to Fletcher Street — water main replacement

Timeline: Approximately 18 months, phased
Contractor: DeFelice Corporation
Funding: Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds
Breakdown: $7.4 million water · $8.9 million sewer

Combined sewer overflows

In the older parts of the city, sewage and stormwater share a single pipe. Heavy rain can exceed what that pipe and the treatment plant can carry, and the excess discharges to the Merrimack rather than backing up into basements. Separating those sewers is what the Locke Street projects are for, and the city operates under a federal consent decree to do it.

Public health advisory

Combined sewer overflow discharges consist, or likely consist, of untreated or partially treated sewage and waste. Public health officials recommend avoiding contact with the river during rainstorms and for 48 hours afterward.

Live

Real-time overflow status map

Which outfalls are discharging right now, and when they last did.

State portal

MassDEP sewerage notifications

Statewide public notification of sewage discharges and overflows.

The wastewater plant operates under NPDES Permit MA0101621 and a consent decree entered November 10, 2016 (Civil Action No. I6-II698-IT).

Recently completed

Complete

Kenoza Lake Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Complete renovation of the then 37-year-old treatment facility, recommended by the Comprehensive Water System Master Plan of May 2010. Added redundant processes and enhanced clarification, filtration and disinfection capacity to maintain Safe Drinking Water Act compliance.

$41,135,699

April 2017 – June 2020

Complete

Phase 1 — Transmission Main Improvements

The city depended on a single 36-inch transmission main. This project rehabilitated an existing 20-inch main and built interconnections, adding redundancy in the Amesbury Road distribution area and enabling future extensions along Kenoza Avenue toward downtown.

$3,088,000

June 2017 – February 2018

Other project pages

How this work is funded

Projects are financed through State Revolving Fund loans administered by MassDEP, co-funded by the EPA and the Commonwealth.