GRAFTON – A sewage overflow in Worcester sent nearly 900,000 gallons of sewage into the Blackstone River on Thursday morning, according to a city alert.
Continuing for roughly 40 minutes, the spill was said to possibly impact a number of downstream communities outside of Worcester, including Grafton, Milbury and Sutton over a 48-hour period.
The likely untreated or partially treated sewage began to flow from Worcester’s combined sewer system, out of an outfall pipe and into the river around 4:20 a.m., according to the city. The spill reportedly ended just after 5 a.m. with 879,000 gallons entering the river.
This took place behind the Walmart store off Tobias Boland Way in Worcester.
The city’s alert warned anyone in affected areas to avoid contact with the river for a 48 hour period lasting into Saturday morning.
The overflow, officials said, posed “increased health risks from bacteria and other pollutants.”
The Blackstone River forms in Worcester. It then flows through Milbury and Sutton before entering South Grafton.
Worcester’s combined sewer system mixes runoff with sewage. The system can and does overflow, however, particularly after periods of heavy rainfall.
The city of Worcester tracks these releases, producing annual reports for each of the past three years.
There were 17 such overflows a year ago. That number was “above average,” according to the city’s 2021 report.
Speaking with MassLive on Thursday, Worcester Director of Water & Sewer Operations Phil Guerin noted that the spills are not uncommon.
New legislation signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January of last year, however, set new public notification requirements in cases of sewer overflows.
Those requirements took effect this month, prompting Worcester’s alert this week, according to MassLive.
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