Ipswich, Massachusetts closes all beaches due to Merrimack River sewage spill

Ipswich is closing its popular beaches on the North Shore of Massachusetts as a result of the Merrimack River sewage leak.

Public Health Director Colleen Fermon said all of the town's beaches, including Pavilion, Crane, Steep Hill, Clark and Little Neck, are "closed for swimming until further notice." The closure comes ahead of what could be the hottest weather Massachusetts has seen in years.

Crews are working to repair two breaks in a 42-inch sewer line in Haverhill that is currently dumping 8 to 10 million gallons of raw sewage a day into the Merrimack River. It's estimated that it could take until Friday to fix.

"While this situation is ongoing, the Town of Ipswich has made the decision to close all beaches for swimming until testing of water samples indicates that the water is safe to swim in," Fermon said. "Signage will be posted at each beach."

Testing is being done on the water at the Ipswich beaches. The closures will remain in place until bacteria levels return to normal. 

Plum Island beaches in Newburyport are already closed to swimming and will remain so indefinitely. Crane Beach in Ipswich is known for its picturesque views and attracts 350,000 visitors per year.

"We understand that these closures come at an unfortunate time with the incoming heat wave and 4th of July holiday, but this is a serious public health concern," Fermon said. "We will reopen the beaches for swimming as soon as it is safe to do so."

Several people drove to Ipswich to enjoy a day at the beach Monday, but were shocked to discover that they couldn't go in the water.

"It's a real bummer, especially because it's Fourth of July week and everybody dreams of going to the beach this week, and it's going to be so hot," Ipswich resident Maddie Kennedy said. "Why isn't there the infrastructure to protect our natural resources from major contamination like this?"   

"It would have been nice to put my feet in the water, but better safe than sorry," said Lisa Lyle.     

The closure was especially sad for kids like Harrison Wieliczko, who was excited to swim. He had to focus on playing in the sand. 

"I'm sad a lot because yesterday I was able to swim because it was really warm," said Wieliczko.

Ryan Goniea drove from Worcester to enjoy the beach and ended up frustrated.

"We were about to get in the water and that's when they announced that everything was closed," he said.

Town officials said they will receive the results of the water bacteria test on Tuesday. They will then decide whether or not to open the beaches.