The Manitoba government has laid Environment Act charges against the City of Winnipeg nearly a year to the day after the major raw sewage spill into the Red River that discharged for more than two weeks.
The 2024 spill of about 230 million litres began on February 7 after a pipe near the Fort Garry Bridge burst following temporary repairs. The 1970s-era pipe was one of two pipes crossing the Red River to direct sewage from the southwest part of Winnipeg to the South End Sewage Treatment Plant. It had previously been marked for repair following a leak discovered just a few months prior to the incident.
By February 17, one of the pumps for the bypass system at the Fort Garry Bridge was operational. Until the second pump was ready four days later, city officials had asked residents to conserve water.
The emergency repairs following the Red River sewage spill cost Winnipeg about $4.3 million, but a potential fine could add as much as $500,000 to that total.
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The City of Winnipeg is also facing lawsuits from a group of First Nations who are seeking billions in damages over the Red River spill.
One of the lawsuits suggests that all three levels of government failed to maintain Winnipeg’s wastewater management system, and failed to “implement or enforce adequate regulatory mechanisms” regarding the spill.
The province has previously charged the city with three counts of violating its Environment Act licence in 2011, after a malfunction at the South End Sewage Treatment Plant. In that instance, partially-treated sewage flowed into the Red River over seven weeks. In a plea agreement, the city was asked to pay $10,000 in court costs.
