Winnipeg officials say emergency repairs that followed a sewage spill into the Red River in February cost the city more than $4 million, according to a new finance committee report.
Signs of a problem began in November 2023, when Winnipeg’s inspection crews found a leak in one of two 54-year-old deteriorating pipes that cross the Red River. They direct sewage from the southwest part of Winnipeg to the South End Sewage Treatment Plant.
The new finance report describes how maintenance crews worked to create a functioning bypass for the burst pipe near the Fort Garry Bridge. The city adjusted an existing contract with AECOM Canada Ltd. to address the emergency situation for assessment, design and contract administration of a sewer bypass system. The scope change took the cost to $180,000, the report states.
To ensure the bypass work was completed before the spring melt, the city authorized single-sourcing the bypass assembly and operation to Nelson River Construction Inc. for $2.7 million.
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When one pipe was taken out of service, however, the second pipe burst on February 7 after temporary repairs and spewed some 228 million litres of raw sewage into the river over the course of about three weeks before city crews got the bypass system up and running.
Winnipeg then authorized another single-source contract with AECOM worth $1.4 million for the replacement of the Fort Garry St. vital siphon river crossing. This included $149,900 for continued bypass system engineering support, the finance report states.
The construction of the new river crossing is expected to cost approximately $20 million, said local officials, and is expected to start in 2025.
