A sewage leak south of Nelson reportedly saw millions of liters of sewage released into the Kootenay River over a four day period.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the leak was identified at the bottom of the river on Mar. 27.
A report on the ministry’s website stated that the potential impact on wildlife in the river is presumed to be minimal because the rate of the river flow was much greater than that of the sewage leak.
In an update issued on Mar. 30, the ministry said that local health authorities were notified and determined that the leak’s potential impact on humans was minimal, as all private and public water extraction points were a significant distance from the leak itself.
It added that the sewage was macerated, meaning limited solids were leaked into the river.
By Apr. 2, The City of Nelson deployed a dive team out of Vancouver to repair the leak, which was deemed successful on Apr. 3rd.
A media release from the city stated that the leak resulted from a displacement of a rubber gasket from a prior repair, resulting in an opening not much bigger than the size of a loonie.
Because the flow of the leak was significantly lower than that of the river, the city and a provincial coordination team determined it unnecessary to issue an immediate public advisory.
“I want to acknowledge our staff’s swiftness and commitment to maintaining our vital infrastructure. Our team’s ongoing rapid response in situations like these helps ensure our community remains safe,” said Nelson Mayor Janice Morrison.
“We approach these matters with the seriousness they deserve. Remarkably, in this scenario, the solution was found in dilution. I am profoundly grateful for the patience and understanding of our community as we navigate these challenges together.”
The city said the gasket naturally repositioned itself back into place and stopped the leak before the dive team arrived on-site to successfully reinforce it to ensure its future stability.
The incident wasn’t a pipeline failure, and the dive team is conducting a comprehensive inspection of the entire pipeline to assess its overall condition.
The ministry added that it is working internally to review and assess the downstream impacts to determine whether additional sampling needs to be considered, and that it will be reviewing the city’s liquid waste management plan, which is currently being updated to account for the city’s aging wastewater infrastructure.
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