Our view: City should delay further river testing

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December 4, 2009

Until a study makes clear the extent and effect of prescription drug contamination of the Merrimack River, Haverhill officials should cease studying it as a potential source of drinking water.

As the Haverhill Gazette reported recently, a just-released study by the Merrimack River Watershed Council reveals that upriver from Haverhill there are traces of 16 pharmaceuticals in the waters. Among the chemicals identified were many over-the-counter and prescription medications such as Prozac, antibiotics, and antihistamines. Even traces of cocaine were found.

The river is already a source of drinking water for communities upriver such as Andover and Lawrence, and Haverhill has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars studying whether the river could be a drinking water source in the decades to come. The river's condition is of vital interest to this section of the Merrimack Valley.

A likely source is sewage plant overflow that occurs regularly during rainstorms. Massive sewage treatment plants in cities all along the river spew "overflow discharge" whenever their systems become overburdened with rainfall that finds its ways into sewage pipes and city drains that feed into them.

The most obvious result of this is the health warnings that come into effect whenever significant rainstorms occur - boaters and swimmers are urged to avoid the Merrimack River due to potential sewage-borne illnesses.

But this recent study gives reason to believe that there is another layer of contamination that needs to be studied and solved. For many years, we have been instructed to "flush" our unused or expired prescription medications to keep them out of the hands of those for whom they are not intended. It is unlikely that anyone foresaw this consequence.

The effects of these trace pharmaceuticals on our environment and ourselves is not yet fully understood. There have been documented cases of severe impacts on fish, and scientists now believe that even trace amounts of chemicals may be causing health problems.

The watershed council is lobbying the federal government to conduct an Urban River Study on the Merrimack, arguing this latest finding merits close attention.

We agree, and urge city officials to join the Merrimack River Watershed Council to add whatever leverage it can to see that the study takes place.

If the Fiorentini administration expects future generations to get their water — or at least some of it — from the Merrimack River, it should do everything possible to help ensure that water is safe to drink.