The city has sent the matter of the breaching of two sewer pipes that spewed sewage into a wetland near the Westfield River on to the district attorney's office.
AGAWAM – The city has turned over the matter of the breaching of two sewer pipes that spewed raw sewage into wetlands near the Westfield River to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office.
As to whether there is an investigation, Mayor Richard A. Cohen was tightlipped Thursday about the incident, which took place late last month on private property off Meadow Street.
“I can’t say a word because it has been turned over to the district attorney’s office,” Cohen said.
Cohen also declined to say how much repairs have cost the city or identify who breached the pipes, referring all questions to the district attorney’s office.
Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
Catherine Skiba, regional spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which worked closely with the Department of Public Works on repairs, would not identify the contractor who breached the pipe.
“We can’t discuss an ongoing investigation,” Skiba said.
A contractor doing work on property off Meadow Street nicked a 10-inch and a 20-inch sewer pipe, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Christopher Christopher J. Golba. The Department of Public Works was called in when it was reported to them that there was a backhoe unattended and submerged in wetlands. The site is posted with a “No Trespassing” sign.
The pipes run from a pump station on Main Street and flow to the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility on Bondi’s Island.
Golba had said earlier that the city would pay for repairs and seek reimbursement from the contractor. Cohen had said the city would correct the problem because it is an environmental issue, investigate the matter thoroughly and then take “appropriate action.”