A contractor performing unknown work on private property off Meadow Street nicked the 10-inch and 20-inch pipes Friday, said Christopher Golba, superintendent of the Agawam Department of Public Works.
AGAWAM – Repair work has begun on two sewer pipes that were broken over the weekend, spewing raw sewage into the wetlands near the Westfield River.
A still-unknown contractor performing work with a backhoe on private property off Meadow Street nicked the 10-inch and 20-inch pipes Friday, said Christopher Golba, superintendent of the Agawam Department of Public Works.
The DPW was called in when the backhoe, which was unattended and submerged in the wetlands, was reported to them.
The site is on protected wetlands with “No Trespassing” signage. Golba said no digging should have taken place there.
The force pipes, which are sewer lines under pressure, run from the pump station on Main Street and cross the river to the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, or “Bondi’s Island.”
“When staff were out there (Monday) morning, the discharge was retained to the uplands and the wetlands area,” said Catherine Skiba, regional spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which is working closely with the DPW on the repairs.
She said workers “did not observe a significant discharge” into the river.
Golba said workers at Bondi’s Island have not seen a substantial drop in pressure from the operational pipe, so the leak is likely not severe.
The smaller pipe was shut off Friday, but the larger one had to be left on until Monday afternoon, when repairs began, so sewage wouldn't back up. Workers set up a vacuum truck to transfer sewage from the pipe to the treatment plant so there would be no interruption in service while the pipes were shut off, Skiba said.
The city will pay for the repairs and then seek reimbursement from the contractor once they have identified it, said Golba. Mayor Richard A. Cohen said he was not happy about that, but the city has no choice.
“We have a responsibility to correct it because it’s an environmental issue,” said Cohen. “We are investigating this thoroughly and will take appropriate action.”
Western Massachusetts Electric Company is performing work in the same area, Cohen said, “but that’s all legitimate. ... They have all the proper permits and procedures and dig safe.”
Skiba said there is no information yet available about danger to wildlife due to the contamination.
“We’re going to be evaluating this for some time to come,” said Skiba.