July 13, 2026 — Massachusetts shellfish harvesters who were not able to work for nearly two weeks because of a sewage overflow that impacted the Merrimack River and parts of the North Shore will be eligible for some state financial support.
The ruptured pipe in Haverhill was discovered during the night of June 26 following a storm, with a second break found about 100 yards farther along the pipe the next day. Before the overflow stopped, officials estimated that up to 10 million gallons of wastewater were entering the Merrimack River each day.
State officials closed the fisheries across several communities on June 29 and began testing water quality in the region. After seeing water quality improvements, samples of shellfish meats were tested for safety, and those came back negative on July 9.