Monster sewage spill into river back on: city

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This article was published 16/02/2024 (569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A massive sewage spill into the Red River in south Winnipeg continued Friday, after two initial repairs failed to stop the flow for long.

City of Winnipeg spokesman Kalen Qually revealed Friday that a second attempt to fix the pipe leak at 3100 Abinojii Mikanah (Bishop Grandin Boulevard), was no longer working despite briefly succeeding that morning.

“We can advise that the emergency bypass system is still experiencing intermittent mechanical issues. Our crews are hard at work trying to fix the mechanical issues so that the bypass system is up and running continuously,” wrote Qually, in an emailed statement. “When the bypass is off due to the mechanical issues, we spill sewage into the river.”

The city estimates the total amount of untreated sewage that spilled into the Red River reached 191.8 million litres between roughly 9 a.m. Feb. 7 and early Friday. The city’s website said the next update on the volume of the spill won’t be provided until Tuesday.

Earlier Friday, the city’s chief administrative officer, Michael Jack, told media that crews have been working to fix the leak 24/7.

Before the mechanical issues returned, Jack said a repair had been completed Friday morning. A previous repair on Wednesday evening also didn’t hold up.

Jack said the sewage system requires constant investment.

“Council commits a significant amount (of funding) every single year but it never ends. Pipes, over time, are going to wear out. So, we’ve got a very significant system in a city this size,” he said.

While the spill was reported by media earlier this week, Treaty One chiefs issued a news release Friday afternoon to demand urgent action from the city and provincial government to address the spill. They accused the city of failing to properly inform First Nations about it.

“We are very concerned by the inadequate protection of our lands and resources, which fails to uphold the Treaty relationship envisioned by our ancestors. The Treaty One Nations will continue to examine the liabilities that environmental (crises) such as this create, as well as the legal options to confront and battle the ongoing environmental degradation of our territory,” said Chief Gordon BlueSky, in a news release.

Treaty One demanded the city and province “immediately complete repair work to stop the leak,” investigate its cause, consult with Indigenous communities on environmental management and prioritize investments to improve wastewater infrastructure.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

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