City sewer pipe leaking sewage into Red River again, hours after repairs completed

A major pipe leak that caused over 100 million litres of untreated sewage to spew into the Red River was temporarily stopped, but has started up again.

A city spokesperson said crews patched the leak as of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, however “mechanical issues” overnight with the bypass pumping system have resulted in more sewage spilling into the river.

“Crews were dispatched and continue to work to resolve the issue,” the spokesperson said.

The leak initially began at 7 a.m. on Feb. 7.

The city says the spill is linked to an incident in November 2023, when one of the two river crossing pipes that service this location began leaking.

It was immediately taken out of service, but the other pipe was also found to be in poor condition. However, it could still handle the flow of the river.

Both pipes were installed in 1970, the city said, and were used to direct sewage flow from southwest Winnipeg to the South End Sewage Treatment Plant.

Last week, city crews began to work on building a bypass system at the Fort Garry Bridge. However, two days after the work started, the other pipe failed.

- With files from CTV’s Kayla Rosen