Cost of repairs after Red River sewage spill reaches $4M, City of Winnipeg says

The price tag for emergency repairs following a sewage spill that dumped hundreds of millions of litres into the Red River has reached more than $4million, the City of Winnipeg says.

Those costs include $180,000 for engineering services, just over $2.7millionfor the construction of an emergency bypass system, and $1.4 million for the design of a permanent replacement.

The total adds up to just over $4.3 million, with more costs expected once the city begins construction of a permanent replacement for the pipes near the Fort Garry Bridge, according to a report for city council's finance committee released Tuesday.

On Feb. 7, a pipe carrying sewage under the Red River to the South End Sewage Treatment Plant broke, spilling 230 million litres into the river over the course of about three weeks, before city crews got the bypass system up and running.

"Of course, the biggest concern was the dumping of raw sewage for that period of time ... and then challenges with the [bypass] pumps," said Coun. Jeff Browaty, chair of the finance committee, in an interview Tuesday.

"That [cost] was unplanned. It's on the utility side, [so] it doesn't affect our general revenue fund. Less than ideal, but we know that number now."

Crews discovered problems with one of the two pipes during a planned inspection in November. That pipe was immediately taken out of service, and while crews were working on repairs, the second pipe burst.

A permanent replacement is expected to cost around $20 million, with the provincial government contributing up to $10 million. Construction is expected to start in 2025.

The spill led to a $4.8-billion lawsuit against the city, filed in Court of King's Bench by several First Nations downstream from the city and around Lake Winnipeg, over concerns about environmental damage.

Sewage that spills into the Red River flows into the lake, feeding toxic algae blooms that can lead towhich suck oxygen out of the water and threaten the ecosystem.

The city has not filed a statement of defence in that case.