Thunder Bay Sign -Acadia Broadcasting Files
City crews are working to address a sewer overflow at Arthur and James Street.
The issue was discovered on Friday after reports of a bad smell in the area.
The overflow was caused by a grease blockage in the sanitary sewer on Arthur Street, allowing sewage to enter a storm sewer flowing down to the Neebing River.
“There was sewage that was present in the storm sewer,” confirmed Water Distribution and Waste Water Collection Superintendent David Warwick. “I don’t have confirmation of contamination like that yet, but it’s likely.”
However, any potential contamination should not be dangerous.
“It is not hydrocarbon, it is not any chemical contamination, it is sewage, so there is no immediate concern for the area,” said Warwick. “Any runoff can have the same stuff in it.”
City crews along with contractors have been working to clean and inspect the affected sewer systems and the storm outfall at the Neebing River.
“So starting Friday morning, our staff and contractors were working through the evening on Friday, all day Saturday into the evening on Saturday, and we picked it up again this (Monday) morning,” explained Warwick. “We were hoping to get it resolved fairly quickly.
“However, due to the size of the sewer, other issues are slowing us down and the rainfall it’s really making it hard to do any cleaning because all we’re doing is just taking the rainwater out of the system right now, so we’re doing what we can to contain it, so no other solids enter the river and we will get it all cleaned up as soon as we can.”
The city does not currently have an estimation on when the work will be complete but the goal is as soon as possible.
Water quality at the Neebing River storm outfall near Riverview Drive is being monitored throughout the process.
The situation has been reported to the Spills Action Center, and the Ministry of the Environment, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority are being kept up to date on the city’s progress.
