by Tom Benoit | Aug 6, 2024 | The MetroWest Daily News

FRAMINGHAM—The city has lifted a health advisory for the Sudbury River that was put in place last week after a massive sewer system overflow.

Officials in neighboring Wayland and Sudbury, which also issued notices urging residents to avoid contact with the river for 48 hours, confirmed on Monday that their advisories were also no longer in effect.

At about 4:30 PM on July 30, a so-called “sanitary sewer overflow” occurred near the Center Pump Station between Worcester Road and 72–74 Main St. in Framingham, lasting until 9 PM. During that period, the city estimates about 675,000 gallons of untreated sewage and waste was spilled. For context, an Olympic-sized swimming pool holds about 660,000 gallons of water.

Earlier: Sewer overflow in Framingham releases 675,000 gallons of wastewater near Sudbury River

Framingham Water and Wastewater Director Steve Leone said the wastewater release was caused by a break in a pressurized sewer pipe, also called a force main, that leaves the Center Pump Station, on Worcester Road (Route 9).

Pipe broke, wastewater entered the Sudbury River

According to the city, the pipe broke in an area near the Sudbury River and resulted in wastewater entering the river. But once the upstream flows from the sewer system could be pumped into trucks and hauled away, the wastewater stopped flowing into the river.

Leone said in Friday’s press release that the pipe has been repaired and that the pump station has resumed normal operation.

“Flow into the river lasted approximately 4.5 hours from the time the break was reported to the DPW until flow was stopped,” Leone said. “This 4.5 hours includes the time required to dispatch to the site, locate and identify the pipe break, and deploy the solution to cease flow into the river.”

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On Friday, Framingham Director of Public Health Bill Murphy lifted the health advisory.

Wayland Town Manager Michael McCall told the Daily News that the advisory in his town was only for 48 hours, and signage advising residents about the release at river entry points would soon be removed—if it hasn’t been already.

Similarly, in an email to the Daily News, Sudbury Town Manager Andy Sheehan confirmed that that town’s advisory has expired after being in effect for 48 hours.

Local organization ‘concerned’ about contamination

Ben Wetherill, a water quality scientist with OARS, a conservation group dedicated to protecting the Assabet, Concord and Sudbury Rivers, previously told the Daily News that the group was concerned about the overflow.

“We are definitely concerned about it,” he said at the time. “Anytime raw sewage gets into the rivers it is a concern, because people can’t recreate in the rivers, people really should avoid boating or kayaking in a river if that happens.”

Wetherill didn’t return a call seeking comment on Monday.

Published in The MetroWest Daily News on Aug 6, 2024: Link to published story