As requested by the Province of Manitoba, we report on the incidents of untreated sewer release into the environment as a result of a disruption to our wastewater collection system. These events are usually the result of something unanticipated like a water main break or a power outage. When sewer operations are disrupted, the sewage can be released into the environment, which helps protect public health and prevent property damage like basement flooding.
| Date |
Location |
Estimated
amount |
Estimated
duration |
Cause |
| Oct. 12 |
900 mm Chataway Boulevard Combined Sewer Outfall located at 1800 Wellington Crescent |
0.1 megalitres |
Approx. 1 hour 30 mins |
Power failure |
- On October 12, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Chataway Pump Station at 5:31 AM, and a mobile generator was connected at 7:33 AM.
- An overflow occurred between 6:14 AM, and 7:40 AM, and power was restored at 1:36 AM, on October 13.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 0.1 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
|
| Oct. 11 |
1200 mm Woodhaven Boulevard Combined Sewer Outfall located at 2784 Assiniboine Drive |
1.55 megalitres |
Approx. 29 hours 30 mins |
Power failure |
- On October 11, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Woodhaven Pump Station at 4:09 PM, and power was restored at 8:53 PM, on October 12.
- An overflow occurred between 4:29 PM, October 11, and 10:05 PM, October 12.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 1.55 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
|
| Oct. 11 |
1600 mm Linden Avenue Combined Sewer Outfall located at 856 Kildonan Drive |
1.3 megalitres |
Approx. 6 hours |
Power failure |
- On October 11, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Linden Pump Station at 5:15 PM, and power was restored at 10:00 AM, on October 12.
- An overflow occurred between 4:00 AM, October 12, and 10:00 AM, October 12.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 1.3 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
|
| Oct. 11 |
1600 mm Cornish Avenue Combined Sewer Outfall located at 1 Cornish Avenue |
5.7 megalitres |
Approx. 22 hours |
Power failure |
- On October 11, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Cornish Pump Station at 9:45 PM.
- A mobile generator was connected at 1:30 PM on October 12.
- An overflow occurred between 10:00 PM, October 11, and 7:50 PM, October 12, and power was restored at 1:36 AM, on October 13.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 5.7 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
|
| Oct. 10 |
2100 mm Hawthorne Avenue Combined Sewer Outfall located at 1178A Kildonan Drive |
0.58 megalitres |
Approx. 13 hours |
Power failure |
- On October 10, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Hawthorne Pump Station at 6:24 PM, and power was restored at 8:12 PM.
- An overflow was ongoing at the time and occurred between 9:34 AM and 10:30 PM.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Red River as a result of the power failure is 0.58 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, October 11, 2019.
|
| Oct. 10 |
1660 mm Mager Drive Combined Sewer Outfall located at 5 Mager Drive W. |
9.3 megalitres |
Approx. 9 hours 30 mins |
Power failure |
- On October 10, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Mager Drive Pump Station at 6:17 PM.
- A mobile generator was connected at 7:29 PM.
- At 3:43 AM October 11, the generator was disconnected and moved to a higher priority location where basement flooding was likely (Marion Pump Station).
- An overflow occurred on October 12, 2019 from 1:30 AM to 11:09 AM.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Red River as a result of the power failure is 9.3 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
|
| Sep. 20 |
2850 mm Aubrey Combined Sewer Outfall located at 1016 Palmerston Avenue |
2.0 megalitres |
Approx. 3 hours |
Power failure |
- On Friday, September 20, 2019, at 10:33 AM, our SCADA operator at the McPhillips Control Centre received an alarm from the Aubrey Wastewater Pumping Station indicating that a loss of power had occurred.
- Maintenance crews and a mobile generator were dispatched immediately and by 11:22 AM, the generator was connected and one station pump was operating.
- At 1:17 PM, Manitoba Hydro restored power and the station returned to normal operation.
- Prior to the power failure, there was a major rainfall event, which resulted in a combined sewer overflow discharge to the Assiniboine River from approximately 9:21 AM to 4:11 PM.
- The power failure occurred during this overflow. As a result, the diluted wastewater that the station normally pumps and sends to the treatment facility was also discharged to the river. This overflow is in addition to combined sewer overflow caused by the rainfall event.
- The total amount of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River, which can be attributed to the power failure only and not as a result of the rainfall event, is approximately 2.0 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, September 20, 2019.
|
| Sep. 20 |
200 mm Ridgedale Wastewater Sewer High Level Overflow located at 72 Ridgedale Crescent |
0.19 megalitres |
Approx. 4 hours |
Severe rain event |
- On Friday, September 20, 2019, at approximately 9:20 AM, a major rainfall event, which is believed to have been a one in twenty-five year storm at some locations, occurred in Winnipeg.
- At 10:14 AM, our SCADA Operator at our McPhillips Control Center received a "Station Flood" alarm from the Ridgedale Wastewater Pumping Station and a maintenance crew was rerouted from other emergent priorities to attend the station.
- The crew found the stations pumps were overwhelmed by the major rainfall event, which caused the station to be flooded with diluted wastewater.
- Wastewater had overflowed from the "wet-well" into the "dry-well", where the pumps are located, causing them to stop working.
- A mobile pump was brought in to evacuate the wastewater from the station and, after inspection by our electrical technicians, the pumps were restarted and the station was returned to normal operation at 1:30 PM.
- There is a high level overflow that drains to the Assiniboine River, which is designed to protect the Ridgedale Crescent area should the station fail or cannot keep up with incoming flows. Wastewater was observed to be flowing out of this overflow during the station shutdown.
- The total amount of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River is estimated to be 0.19 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, September 20, 2019.
|
| Sep. 6 |
2100mm combined sewer outfall located at 242 Metcalfe Avenue |
0.08 megalitres |
Approx. 30 minutes |
Water main break |
- On Friday, September 6 at 12:46 AM, our SCADA Operator received a weir overflow alarm from the Metcalfe Combined Sewer Overflow Monitoring Station indicating that there may be an overflow to the river.
- A standby maintenance crew was immediately dispatched and upon arrival, noticed high flow in the sewer system resulting in an overflow to the Red River at the Metcalfe Combined Sewer Outfall.
- The high flows were caused by a water main break that had occurred near the intersection of Braemar Avenue and Caton Street.
- At 1:55 AM, the outfall slide gate was closed in order to temporarily control the flow while the water main break was being contained.
- According to our instrumentation an overflow is believed to have occurred between 1:25 AM and 1:55 AM and the total volume discharged is estimated to be 0.08 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, September 6, 2019.
|
| Aug. 21 |
1350mm Strathmillan Combined Sewer Outfall located at 2396 Portage Avenue |
0.47 megalitres |
Approx. 3 hours |
Water main break |
- On Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 4:16AM, our SCADA operator at the McPhillips Control Centre received an overflow alarm from the Strathmillan Combined Sewer Outfall Station indicating that an overflow to the Assiniboine River may occur. A maintenance crew was dispatched immediately and arrived at the station at approximately 5:00AM.
- Upon arrival the crew noticed that the flap gate was open and wastewater was flowing to the Assiniboine River. They closed the outfall slide gate and stopped the flow at 5:23AM. The crew traced the excess flow to what appeared to be a water main break flowing into a sewer repair excavation near the intersection of Lodge Avenue and Davidson Street. Water Services had already been called by local residents who were experiencing backup into their basements and they soon arrived to isolate the leaking water pipe.
- The maintenance crew stayed on site until the overflow alarm had cleared at the outfall station (once the water main was shut off) and the outfall slide gate was then opened at 7:00AM.
- The total volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River is estimated to be 0.47 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.
|
| July 14 |
Olive 750 mm Combined Sewer Outfall at 2461 Assiniboine Crescent |
0.37 megalitres |
Approx. 2 hours |
Power failure |
- On July 14, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Olive Pump Station (2461 Assiniboine Cr) at 6:54 AM and continued until 8:37 AM at which time Manitoba Hydro restored power.
- Upon review of our instrumentation, an overflow occurred between 6:55 AM and 8:40 AM.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 0.37 megalitres.
- These incidents were reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Sunday July 14, 2019.
|
| July 14 |
Strathmillan 1350 mm Combined Sewer Outfall at 2396 Portage Avenue |
0.39 megalitres |
Approx. 2 hours |
Power failure |
- On July 14, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Olive Pump Station (2461 Assiniboine Cr) at 6:54 AM and continued until 8:37 AM at which time Manitoba Hydro restored power.
- The loss of power resulted in the 600 mm interceptor sewer between the Strathmillan Diversion Station and the Olive Pump Station to become surcharged. As a result, wastewater overtopped the diversion weir and caused an overflow to the Strathmillan Outfall.
- Upon review of our instrumentation, an overflow occurred at this location between 6:55 AM and 8:44 AM.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 0.39 megalitres.
- These incidents were reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Sunday July 14, 2019.
|
| July 14 |
Roblin Boulevard 2590 mm Land Drainage Sewer Outfall at 4589 Roblin Boulevard |
0.035 megalitres |
Approx. 2 hours |
Power failure |
- On July 14, 2019 a power failure occurred at the Elmhurst Pump Station (801 Elmhurst Road) between 6:57 AM and continued until 8:45 AM at which time Manitoba Hydro restored power.
- Upon review of our overflow alarms, the estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River as a result of the power failure is 0.035 megalitres.
- These incidents were reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Sunday July 14, 2019.
|
| July 14 |
Heritage 600 mm Wastewater Sewer Outfall at 3145 Ness Avenue |
0.09 megalitres |
Approx. 2 hours |
Power failure |
- On July 14, 2019, a power failure occurred at the Heritage Pump station (3145 Ness Avenue) between 6:57 AM and continued until 8:38 AM at which time Manitoba Hydro restored power.
- Upon review of our overflow alarms, the estimated volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River (via Sturgeon Creek) as a result of to the power failure is 0.09 megalitres.
- These incidents were reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Sunday July 14, 2019.
|
| July 14 |
1800 mm Riviera Crescent Land Drainage Outfall located at 1002 Riviera Crescent |
0.095 megalitres |
Approx. 5 hours |
Power failure |
- On Sunday, July 14, 2019, at approximately 5:15 AM, the McPhillips Control Centre received an alarm from the Clarence Pump Station (1374 Clarence Avenue), indicating that a loss of power had occurred. A maintenance crew and a mobile generator were dispatched, but, due to additional wet weather related events, they did not arrive at the station until 10:24 AM, at which time the generator was connected to the station, preventing further discharge into the land drainage system.
- Manitoba Hydro, which had reported a large scale outage, restored power to the station at 11:00 AM, and the station returned to normal operation by 11:45 AM.
- The total volume of diluted wastewater discharged to the Red River due to the power failure is estimated to be 0.095 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to the Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Sunday, June 14, 2019.
|
| July 8 |
500mm St. Vital Bridge River Crossing located between Kingston Row and Churchill Drive |
60 litres |
Unknown |
Pipe leak |
- On Monday, July 8 at approximately 9:00 AM, City staff noticed a leak from the 500 mm river crossing pipe that is attached underneath the St Vital Bridge. The leak was located on the north part of the crossing over top the Red River between the second and third bridge piers.
- The estimated volume from the leak will be determined once the repair has been completed however, the estimated rate of leakage is 12 litres/day. This location was last visually inspected on Sunday, July 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM and there was no sign of leakage from the pipe at that time.
- The 500mm St. Vital Bridge River Crossing sewer main is in poor condition and plans are currently under way to replace or rehabilitate this pipe. We have increased our visual inspection frequency of this pipe and have several repair clamps on hand, and are in the process of installing temporary by-pass pipes until this pipe can be replaced or rehabilitated.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Monday, July 8, 2019.
- On July 12, 2019, the leak that was located on the north part of the crossing over top the Red River between the second and third bridge piers was stopped as temporary by-pass pumping around the 500mm river crossing was installed and activated.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged from the time the leak was discovered until the by-pass pumping was activated is roughly 60 litres.
|
| July 2 |
500mm St. Vital Bridge River Crossing located between Kingston Row and Churchill Drive |
South leak – 0.8 litres;
North leak – 96 litres |
Unknown |
Pipe leak |
- On Tuesday, July 2 at approximately 9:45 AM, while conducting a routine visual inspection of the St Vital River Crossing, a maintenance crew noticed two leaks from the 500 mm river crossing pipe that is attached underneath the St Vital Bridge. The first leak was located on the north part of the crossing over top the Red River near the third bridge pier. The second leak was located on the south part of the crossing just passed the second pier on the bank of the Red River.
- As a temporary measure, on July 2 at 1:00 PM, a tank was installed under the south side leak to contain the wastewater. Due to the location of the south side leak and its proximity to an expansion joint, further discussions and planning is required before attempting a repair. Repairs to the north side leak began July 3, 2019 at 9:00 AM and are currently ongoing.
- The estimated volume of wastewater discharged from the south side leak from the time of discovery until the time in which it was contained is roughly 0.8 litres. All contaminated soil will be removed. The estimated volume from the north side leak will be determined once the repair has been completed however, the estimated rate of leakage is 24 litres/day. This location was last visually inspected on Friday, June, 28 2019 and there was no sign of leakage from the pipe at that time.
- The 500mm St. Vital Bridge River Crossing sewer main is in poor condition and plans are currently under way to replace or rehabilitate this pipe. We have increased our visual inspection frequency of this pipe and have several repair clamps on hand, and are in the process of installing temporary by-pass pipes until this pipe can be replaced or rehabilitated.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Tuesday, July 2, 2019.
- On July 5, 2019, a repair to the north side leak was successfully completed. The estimated volume of wastewater discharged from the time the leak was discovered to the time it was repaired was 96 litres. The leak located on the south side of the crossing is still being contained.
- On July 16, 2019, a repair to the leak located on the south part of the crossing just passed the second pier on the bank of the Red River was successfully completed. The contaminated soil was removed and all wastewater has been contained since the tank was placed under the leak on July 2, 2019.
|
| June 25 |
535 Panet Road |
0.012 megalitres |
Unknown |
Sewer Blockage |
- On Tuesday June 25, 2019 at 11:47 AM, the 311 contact centre received a report that wastewater was coming out of a manhole located at 535 Panet Road and flowing into the nearby ditch.
- A maintenance crew attended the site at 12:10 PM and confirmed wastewater was flowing out of a wastewater sewer manhole, into a ditch and then into the adjacent land drainage catch basin.
- A vacuum cleaning unit arrived on site and the wastewater sewer was cleaned and blockage cleared by approximately 3:30 PM.
- Contaminated topsoil in the drainage ditch is being removed.
- The volume of wastewater discharged to the environment as a result of the blockage from the time it was reported until the blockage was cleared is estimated to be 12 cubic metres or 0.012 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Tuesday June 25, 2019.
|
| June 22 |
750mm Olive combined sewer outfall located at 2461 Assiniboine Crescent |
0.39 megalitres |
Approx. 1 hour 25 mins |
Power failure |
- On Saturday, June 22, 2019 at approx. 04:41 AM, our SCADA operator at the McPhillips Control Centre received an alarm from the Olive Lift Station indicating that a loss of power had occurred.
- A maintenance crew and a mobile generator were dispatched immediately and arrived at the station at approximately 5:40 AM. At 6:05 AM, before the crew had finished connecting the generator, Manitoba Hydro power was restored, returning the station to normal operation and stopping the discharge to the river.
- At the time of the power failure the Olive Station was experiencing high flows due to an ongoing rain event. The total volume of wastewater discharged to the Red River due to the power failure is estimated to be 0.39 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday June 22, 2019.
|
| June 10 |
1800 mm Land Drainage Outfall located at the intersection of Assiniboine Avenue and Carroll Road |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Leak in land drainage sewer |
- On Monday, June 10, 2019, Wastewater Operations reviewed a video inspection of a land drainage sewer in front of 196 Wordsworth Way. The video showed water entering the land drainage sewer through a small hole in the pipe, but the source was not clear. This leak had been noticed by staff performing condition assessment inspections on the land drainage sewers in the area.
- The decision was made to proceed with a repair of the wastewater service and land drainage sewer. Emergency utility clearances will be obtained and the repair will begin as soon as possible.
- When this leak developed or the duration of the discharge is unknown. The amount of wastewater currently discharging into the land drainage sewer on a daily basis is estimated to be 0.00002 megalitres or 20 litres per day.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Monday June 10, 2019.
|
| June 8 |
2100 mm Hawthorne Combined Sewer Outfall located at 1178A Kildonan Drive |
0.462 megalitres |
Approx. 1 hour |
Power failure |
- On Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 9:26 PM, our SCADA operator at the McPhillips Control Centre received an alarm from the Hawthorn Lift Station indicating that a loss of power had occurred.
- A maintenance crew and a mobile generator were dispatched immediately and arrived at the station at approximately 10:21 PM. At 10:36 PM the station was running on the generator, returning the station to normal operation and stopping the discharge to the river.
- At the time of the power failure the Hawthorne Station was experiencing high flows due to an ongoing rain event. The total volume of wastewater discharged to the Red River due to the power failure is estimated to be 0.462 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Saturday June 8, 2019.
|
| May 17 |
500mm St. Vital Bridge River Crossing located between Kingston Row and Churchill Drive |
10 litres |
Unknown |
Pipe leak |
- On Friday, May 17, at approximately 2:00 PM, a maintenance crew found a small leak in the 500mm river crossing pipe underneath the St Vital Bridge, during a routine visual inspection of the St. Vital River Crossing.
- A bridge inspection truck was called in so that a maintenance crew could access the pipe. Work began to install a repair clamp at 4:00 PM and the repair was completed at 10:30 PM.
- The last visual inspection at this location was on Wednesday May 15, 2019. There was no sign of leakage from the pipe at that time.
- The volume of wastewater discharged is minor and estimated to be 10 litres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, May 17, 2019.
|
| May 4 |
900mm land drainage outfall located at the intersection of St. Charles Street and the Assiniboine River;
and at the 1950mm land drainage outfall at Ness Avenue and Sturgeon Creek |
0.286 megalitres |
Approx. 11 hours |
Broken force-main |
- On Saturday May 4, 2019 at 7:02 a.m., our Wastewater Services SCADA Operator received a high level alarm at St. Charles Wastewater Pumping Station. A Wastewater Services crew was immediately dispatched to investigate. While driving to the site, the crew noticed water coming up through the pavement on Portage Avenue at St. Charles Street and called the Water Services emergency line to report a water main break. The crew arrived at St. Charles Station at 7:45 a.m. and performed a thorough check of the station.
- While the crew was servicing the St. Charles Station, Water Services arrived on site to investigate the reported water main break. At 11:30 a.m., Water Services determined that it was wastewater, not water, coming up through the pavement on Portage Avenue.
- Wastewater Services then checked the St. Charles force-main discharge manhole north of Portage Avenue on Isbister Street. They noticed no flow, which indicated that the wastewater force-main was broken and leaking. They also noticed wastewater flowing into two catch basins. One catch basin is located south of Portage Avenue on St. Charles Street and the other runs east on Portage Avenue. These catch basins eventually flow in to the Assiniboine River and Sturgeon Creek, respectively.
- Around 2 p.m. vacuum cleaning equipment arrived on site and began to draw down wastewater upstream of the St. Charles Wastewater Pumping Station and transport it downstream for transmission to the wastewater treatment facility. At 6 PM the station pumps were shut off and wastewater stopped overflowing on to Portage Avenue.
- Emergency utility clearances were obtained and excavation began at 7:30 p.m. to repair the broken force-main. Vacuum cleaning units continued transporting wastewater from the St. Charles Catchment area downstream for treatment. The repair was completed and crews were flushing the force-main before putting the station back on-line.
- The sidewalks and the curb lanes of St. Charles Street and Portage Avenue were cleaned with water and street sweeping equipment on Sunday May 5, 2019 and we will be removing the top 4" of soil from any contaminated grassed areas on Monday, May 6, 2019.
- The total amount of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River and Sturgeon Creek is estimated to be approximately 0.210 and 0.074 megalitres respectively. In addition, 0.002 megalitres is believed to have contaminated the boulevard soil along Portage Avenue and Isbister Street.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Conservation Accident Reporting line on Saturday May 4, 2019.
|
| Apr. 4 |
Intersection of Dugald Rd and Murdock Rd |
10 cubic meters of foam |
Unknown |
Foaming from Manhole |
- On Thursday April 4, 2019, foam was seen on the ground near the manhole located at the corner of Dugald Road and Murdock Road. This manhole received wastewater flows from the City's Drinking Water Treatment Plant.
- The foam was cleaned up, but continued to intermittently reappear. The City has cleaned up the remaining foam and has now sealed the manhole as a temporary measure. The Water Services Division is reviewing how to prevent this foam from forming.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.
|
| Mar. 19 |
1800mm combined sewer outfall located at 200 Syndicate Street |
0.12 megalitres |
Approx. 3 hours |
Water main leak |
- On Tuesday, March 19, 2019 a water main break occurred at 149 Angus Avenue. On Wednesday, March 20, 2019 the water main was put on restricted flow to alleviate high levels observed at the Syndicate Wastewater Pumping Station. However, levels began to increase due to snow melt and at 2 PM the crew on site closed the outfall slide gate to prevent a discharge of wastewater to the Red River.
- Due to the water main break and melting conditions, levels at the station continued to rise. At 3:45 PM, to prevent a further rise in the collection system that may result in basement flooding, the outfall slide gate was slightly opened resulting in a discharge of wastewater to the Red River. At 6 PM the flow had subsided enough to allow the slide gate to be closed completely and thereby stopping the flow of wastewater to the river.
- The leaking water main is scheduled to be repaired today, Thursday, March 21. Wastewater Services will continue to monitor the levels at Syndicate Wastewater Pumping Station and will operate the outfall slide gate as required in order to prevent any further discharges to the Red River or basement flooding.
- The volume of diluted wastewater discharged to the Red River is estimated to be 0.12 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 4:30 PM.
|
| Mar. 14 |
2100 mm Hawthorne Combined Sewer Pumping Station |
10 cubic metres |
5 minutes |
Pipe leak |
- On Thursday, March 14 at approximately 10:45 AM, a contractor working on a project to upgrade the Hawthorne Wastewater Pumping Station noticed wastewater leaking on to the ground surrounding the station.
- They quickly discovered that the by-pass pump discharge pipe had sprung a leak and made the required repairs within five minutes. Vacuum cleaning units were called in to clean up the site and all ponding wastewater was removed by 2 PM.
- The contractor will visually monitor the discharge piping to ensure another spill of this nature does not occur.
- The total volume of wastewater discharged to the environment is estimated to be 10 cubic metres or 0.00001 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday, March 15, 2019
|
| Mar. 5 |
1200 mm Woodlands Land Drainage Sewer Outfall located adjacent to 3011 Portage Avenue |
0.035 megalitres |
Approx. 3 hours |
Grease |
- On Tuesday March 5, 2019 at approximately 10 AM, Wastewater Services received notification of open water on Sturgeon Creek near Sturgeon Road and Portage Avenue. A maintenance crew was dispatched at approximately 10:45 AM and arrived on site at approximately 11:50 AM.
- Once on-site, the crew noticed the 250mm Portage Avenue wastewater sewer was backed up and overflowing into the 1200mm Woodlands Land Drainage Sewer Outfall. The blockage was located and a vacuum cleaning unit arrived on site at approximately 12:45 PM. By 1:15 PM, the blockage was cleared and the overflow stopped.
- The cause of the blockage was reported to be "grease." We currently perform preventative maintenance cleaning and degreasing at this location on a quarterly basis however, the blockage occurred downstream of where we currently perform this maintenance. Due to this incident our preventative maintenance at this location will now extend from Woodlands Crescent to School Road in order to prevent future overflow occurrences.
- The volume of wastewater discharged to Sturgeon Creek from the time the blockage was reported until the time it was cleared is estimated to be 0.035 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Tuesday March 5, 2019.
|
| Feb. 25 |
1675mm combined sewer outfall located at 905 Cockburn Street |
0.003 megalitres |
Approx. 2 hours |
Water main leak |
- On Monday, February 25, 2019 at approximately 11:15 PM, our Wastewater Services SCADA Operator received a weir overflow alarm at the Cockburn Wastewater Pumping Station.
- A crew was dispatched at approximately 11:30 PM and arrived on site at approximately 12:30 AM. Once on-site, the crew noticed wastewater spilling out of the outfall and proceeded to close the outfall slide gate. The gate was fully closed on Tuesday, February 26 at approximately 1:15 AM.
- Once the outfall slide gate was fully closed and flow was contained, the crew called the Water Services emergency line to confirm if there was a water main break or leak in the area.
- The Water Services crew indicated that the most recent hydrant supply line repair at Nathaniel Street and Grant Avenue has a leaking valve, which is allowing water to enter the combined sewer through the street catch basins. Once we have confirmed the station is back to normal operation, the slide gate will be reopened.
- The volume of diluted wastewater discharged to the Red River is estimated to be 0.003 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
|
| Feb. 21 |
1675mm combined sewer outfall located at 905 Cockburn Street |
0.004 megalitres |
Approx. 1.5 hours |
Water main break |
- On Thursday, February 21, 2019 at approximately 10:38 AM, our Wastewater Services SCADA Operator received a weir overflow alarm at the Cockburn Wastewater Pumping Station. A crew was dispatched at 10:42 AM and arrived on site at 11:30 AM.
- The crew attending the site noticed wastewater spilling out of the outfall and proceeded to close the outfall slide gate. The gate was fully closed at 12:10 PM.
- Once the outfall slide gate was fully closed and flow was contained, the crew called the Water Services emergency line to confirm if there was a water main break or leak in the area. The Water Services crew indicated that a major leak on a hydrant supply line occurred at Nathaniel Street and Grant Avenue, which was allowing water to enter the combined sewer through the street catch basins.
- Water Services was dispatched to contain the leak and by 4PM, the flow to the catch basins had stopped. At 6:15 PM, the weir overflow alarm cleared and the outfall slide gate was opened. The station was back to normal operation at 6:40 PM.
- The volume of diluted wastewater discharged to the Red River is estimated to be 0.004 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 1:30 PM.
|
| Feb. 15 |
900 mm land drainage outfall located at the intersection of St. Charles Street and the Assiniboine River |
0.24 megalitres |
Approx. 30 hours |
Blocked Sewer |
- On February 14, 2019 at 12:06 PM, a resident called the City's 311 call center to report a sewer back up. At 4:08 PM, a maintenance crew inspected the City sewer and reported that there were no observed issues with our system.
- At 8:09 PM, a second resident reported to 311 that they had hired a plumber to inspect their sewer service and the plumber believed the problem to be in the City's sewer.
- A maintenance crew attended the site again on February 15, 2019 at 11 AM and observed that the City sewer was flowing, but that flow to the St. Charles Lift Station might be restricted. Further investigation found that wastewater was discharging from the land drainage outfall located at St Charles Street and the Assiniboine River.
- A vacuum cleaning unit was dispatched and arrived on site at 1:30 PM. The wastewater sewer west of the St. Charles Lift Station on Sansome Avenue was cleaned and the discharge to the Assiniboine River stopped at 2:07 PM on February 15, 2019.
- The overflow occurred at the high level overflow from the wastewater system to the land drainage system, located at the intersection of Gagnon Street and Sansome Avenue. This overflow is designed to protect local residences from sewer backup in the event of a failure at the St. Charles Lift Station.
- As the blockage occurred upstream of the station, we did not get an alarm. Based on all of our information, we believe the overflow occurred between 8 AM on February 14 and 2:07 PM February 15. The total amount of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River is estimated to be approximately 0.24 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Conservation Accident Reporting line on Friday February 15, 2019.
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| Feb. 14 |
1100 mm Land Drainage Outfall located at the intersection of Moore Avenue and the Red River |
0.004 megalitres |
Unknown |
Broken Sewer |
- On Thursday February 14, 2019 at approximately 12 PM, a contractor performing a video inspection of the land drainage sewer on Parkville Drive informed the City that a residential sewer service was broken and that wastewater may be discharging into the land drainage sewer.
- On Friday February 15, 2019 at 4:30 PM, the contractor provided the video to City personal for review. Even though the video evidence wasn't conclusive, it was decided that an immediate repair was required.
- Emergency utility clearances were obtained on Saturday February 16, 2019 and excavation began on Sunday February 17, 2019. Excavation was difficult due to the presence of other utilities and frozen ground.
- On Tuesday February 19, 2019, crews confirmed that the sewer service was discharging wastewater into the land drainage sewer and completed the repair.
- The duration of the discharge is unknown. The amount of wastewater discharged into the land drainage sewer from the time an issue was first observed to the time the service was repaired is estimated to be 0.004 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting Line on Tuesday February 19, 2019.
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| Jan. 17 |
1350 mm Strathmillan Combined Sewer Outfall located at 2396 Portage Avenue |
0.018 megalitres |
Approx. 6 minutes |
Power Failure |
- On Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 7:35 AM, our SCADA operator at the McPhillips Control Centre received an alarm from the Olive Lift Station indicating that a loss of power had occurred. A maintenance crew, equipped with a mobile generator, were dispatched immediately, arriving at the station at approximately 8:31 AM. While the crew was in transit, Manitoba Hydro restored power, returning the station to normal operation and stopping the discharge to the river at 8:26 AM river.
- The loss of power resulted in the 600 mm interceptor sewer between Strathmillan Diversion Station and Olive Wastewater Lift Station becoming surcharged, overtopping the diversion weir and causing an overflow to the Strathmillan Combined Sewer Outfall.
- After reviewing our instrumentation from this incident, we found that the overflow at the Strathmillan Combined Sewer Outfall lasted approximately 6 minutes between 8:22 AM and 8:28 AM.
- The total volume of wastewater discharged to the Assiniboine River is estimated to be 0.018 megalitres.
- The incident was reported to Manitoba Sustainable Development Accident Reporting line on Friday January 18, 2018.
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