WORCESTER – A $1 million bond has been issued to finance the cost of repairs at the Lake Quinsigamond Lake Avenue sewer pumping station in Worcester.
Renovations on the sewer pumping station are expected to begin this year and will include upgrades to the station and equipment that will improve sewer system resiliency.
The pumping station at 83 Lake Ave. failed during the early morning hours of Feb. 6, 2022, after a pipe leak flooded the dry well, causing the system’s pumps to stop and releasing about 5.75 million gallons of untreated wastewater into Lake Quinsigamond over 36 hours.
“The failures of the Lake Ave Pumping Station are unacceptable to the city of Worcester, to the local environment, and to the residents who live on and near the shores of this wonderful lake,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I’m pleased to have worked with local partners, the Worcester delegation on Beacon Hill, and the Baker-Polito Administration to secure this $1 million in funding to make sure our neighbors no longer have to deal with raw sewage overflows into Lake Quinsigamond. We owe it to the people of Worcester and to Central Massachusetts’ ecosystems and wildlife to do better.”
The funding was released as a result of an amendment Sen. Moore passed in the Legislature’s transportation and climate bond bill earlier this year. In December, the Baker-Polito Administration, approved a $1 million payment from the $5 million bond authorization passed in the bill.
According to the Telegram & Gazette, the City will spend roughly $6 million on the sewer pumping station upgrades.
Lead image: February 2022 flooding of the Lake Avenue sewer pumping station.
