Wastewater Conditions Improving
December 18, 2025
Evening Wastewater Update (posted December 18 at 5:15 pm)
The City has been responding to elevated inflow to our wastewater system throughout the day, and while the situation continues to improve, some emergency measures will remain in place overnight.
The emergency bypass at the Main Sewage Lift Station is still required to manage flows, and we will keep discharging low volumes of untreated effluent overnight while our system continues to recover.
We have not identified the source of the excess inflow in West Fernie and will continue to use vac trucks to haul away the excess volume from the Colclough Lift Station. At this time, all sewage transported by the vac trucks is being discharged back into the City’s sewer system; it is not being discharged into the river.
Initial Update (posted December 18 at 10:45 am)
Conditions continued to improve overnight, with City crews working through the night to stabilize the wastewater system. Elevated flows remain, and some emergency measures are still in place as monitoring continues this morning.
The emergency bypass at the Main Sewage Lift Station (MSLS) remains open, with minimal volumes of untreated effluent continuing to be discharged to the Elk River. We anticipate closing the bypass later today and will closely monitor the system to ensure the lift station can safely manage flows. The mobile trash pump that had been operating as a supplementary pump at the MSLS is no longer discharging to the river.
As part of this emergency event we have also been experiencing issues with Colclough Lift Station, and it is currently unable to keep up with incoming flows. Crews are investigating the cause, and vac trucks are being used to manage excess volumes. All sewage transported by vac trucks is discharged back into the City’s sewer system -- none is being discharged into the river.
The City continues to coordinate our response and reporting with partner agencies and regulators.
