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The City of Winnipeg is investigating after millions of litres of raw sewage spilled into the Red River early Monday.
Two automated bypass gates at the North End sewage treatment plant opened unexpectedly at about 1:10 a.m., a report on the city’s website said. The opening allowed untreated wastewater to spill into the river.
The City of Winnipeg estimates 9.8 megalitres of sewage spilled.
No alarm went off when the gates opened, and staff members learned about the problem when a different alarm went off elsewhere in the plant because the wastewater flow had changed, the city’s website said.
“We are still investigating why the gates opened and why the first alarm did not go off.”
The gates that had opened were closed, and flow was returned to normal by about 3:45 a.m.
The city said in a news release that such incidents are usually caused by a disruption in the sewer system. Some examples include a broken pipe, a water-main break or a power outage, the release said.
The incident was reported to the provincial government, the city said.
A spokesperson for provincial Environment Minister Mike Moyes said in a statement Monday evening that inspectors will review the city’s report to understand how the spill happened and what measures can be taken to prevent similar incidents.
“From there, we can determine whether there are any compliance or enforcement implications,” the spokesperson said, also mentioning the province’s funding for upgrades to the plant.