The Town of Cochrane, Alta., canceled an alert about a sewage line but wastewater is still flowing into the Bow River.
The emergency alert was issued at 9:43 p.m. on Saturday, closing access to the Bow River after a sewer line break in Cochrane. The alert was canceled around 11:50 p.m. Saturday.
Around 6 p.m. Saturday, a sewer line broke causing an overland sewage discharge that flowed directly into the Bow River at the Highway 22 bridge. The communities of Sunset Ridge, Heritage, Heartland, West Valley/Terrace are impacted by the rupture, which is approximately 35 per cent of Cochrane’s population.
Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung told Global News that the seepage was caused by a rupture to one of the town’s wastewater pipelines. Crews were upgrading the line as part of a regular-schedule capital project on Griffin Road when the drill hit one of the pipelines.
Officials said that drinking water was, and remains, safe to drink.
As of 4:20 p.m. Sunday, discharge has been significantly reduced and wastewater is continuing to flow into the Bow River. The onsite incident response team is investigating the impact and prioritizing measures to stop the flow, the town said.
Multiple pathways adjacent to the Bow River in Cochrane remain closed as of 4 p.m. on Sunday. This includes:
- Jim Uffelmann Memorial Park
- Paths directly adjacent to and below the Highway 22 bridge
- Pedestrian walkway on the Highway 22 bridge
“Crews are still assessing the impact (of the rupture),” Genung said Sunday.
“What they will do is go upstream of the break and block that pipe off, then pump the sewage wastewater into another manhole downstream of the break itself. This will go around the break so we can get flows back to normal and crews can get back in, excavate the rupture and repair the line.”
Town staff said that as of 8:30 p.m. Saturday, it initiated its emergency coordination centre and got in contact with the City of Calgary, Rocky View County, Alberta Environment and Alberta Health Services.
The town said it will also be implementing level three water restrictions. In a Facebook post on Sunday morning, the town said outdoor water use is prohibited, and water pressure will be reduced as required. Bulk water sales will not be permitted.
Residents are asked to use water sparingly, reduce shower time, wash dishes by hand, limit laundry and make sure every member of their household is aware of the restrictions.
“We’ve put restrictions in place for water usage to cut down on the amount of flow to help crews mitigate and contain the spill,” Genung said.
“This has never happened in my time here as a resident, and I’ve been the mayor for six years. We are treating it very seriously. It spilled into the river and has an impact on the environment, so we are taking every precaution.”
The City of Calgary said, “As of Sunday morning, we have seen no change in water quality at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant. Calgary’s water remains safe to drink.
“As a precaution, we are asking Calgarians to stay out of the Bow River for the remainder of Sunday. We are conducting extra water quality sampling on the Bow River.”
Ryan Fournier, press secretary to Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, told Global News in an emailed statement that Alberta Environment and Protected Area officials are working with Cochrane and Calgary officials to ensure drinking water remains safe.
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