The City of Winnipeg is facing charges under the provincial environment law after a massive spill dumped 228 million litres of raw sewage into the Red River early last year.
Last week, charges were laid against the city over the aging sewer pipe failure at 3100 Abinojii Mikanah (formerly Bishop Grandin Boulevard) in February 2024.
The charges aren’t surprising since the city has faced similar offences for major sewage spills in the past, said Coun. Ross Eadie, chairman of council’s water and waste committee.
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A leaky pipe crossing the Red River at the Fort Garry bridge caused one of the largest sewage spills in recent Winnipeg history.
“We’ve had other accidental spills into the Red River… (Under) the provincial regulations and laws and rules, it goes to court. So, it was bound to happen,” said Eadie (Mynarski).
In November 2023, an inspection found one of two sewer pipes crossing the Red River at the Fort Garry bridges had failed and the other was in poor condition. The leaking pipe was immediately taken out of service and planning for an emergency bypass system began, as per the city.
The temporary bypass system was being assembled when the second pipe failed, the city says. It then took multiple repairs to stop the leak, but sewage spilled into the Red on and off for about two weeks.
The spill was among Winnipeg’s largest in recent history, though it fell short of a September 2002 north end sewage treatment plant disaster that dumped 427 million litres of untreated sewage into the river. The city faced federal charges for that spill, which were later stayed.
The municipal government also faced charges for a 2011 sewage spill that released partly treated sewage. Some charges were later stayed and the city wound up paying $10,000 in court costs.
Winnipeg water and waste director Tim Shanks declined to comment on the current charges, which have not been tested in court.
However, Shanks said the 1970s era pipes involved in the 2024 spill were subjected to frequent inspections.
“We have, actually, a very robust, industry-leading, high-risk river crossing inspection program … We’ve done 20 years of assessments and rehabilitation and replacement work,” he said.
Shanks noted bypass construction had already started when the second pipe failed.
“We were on top of it as much as you could be,” he said.
A permanent repair of the river pipes at the site of the spill is expected to cost about $20 million and be completed this year.
Large sewage spills add pollution to the Red River that flows into Lake Winnipeg and fuels algae growth.
A key environmental advocate said this large sewage spill caused significant damage.
“We saw it in Lake Winnipeg last spring. Residents along the shoreline were taking photos of sewage washing up, plastic garbage put down sewer drains (washing up), smelly brown water. It looked … like the shores of the rivers, here in the city, when there’s a combined sewer overflow. That, ultimately, has an impact on both the ecological system of the river and the lake, (as well as) our community’s ability to engage with those waterways,” said Alexis Kanu, executive director of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation.
Kanu said she’s pleased the province has taken enforcement action after the massive spill.
“I think the city has escaped charges in the past for similar problems with the sewage treatment system. So, I am happy to see charges coming… to protect our water resources,” she said.
If the province does fine the city, Kanu urged the senior government to reserve any payment so it can be spent on sewage upgrades that better protect waterways.
The charge could lead to a maximum fine of $500,000 for a first offence and up to $1 million for each subsequent one. A judge could also suspend or revoke an environmental licence, if a corporation is found to be unwilling or unable to remedy the situation.
In a brief email, a provincial spokesperson confirmed charges were laid against the city on Jan. 28, following a “thorough investigation.”
“As the matter is now before the courts, the province has no further comment at this time,” the statement said.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city works to prevent such sewage spills.
“We want to prevent diluted sewage and raw sewage going into our rivers. We… continue to make significant investments in our wastewater assets (and) pipes to try to prevent that,” said Gillingham.
If the city is fined, the mayor would also like to see the payment reserved for sewage treatment upgrades.
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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