Some residents and cottage owners in the Qu’Appelle Valley are expressing anger over a recent decision by the City of Regina to release raw sewage into Wascana Creek.
More than 90 millimeters of rain in less than 24 hours forced the city to bypass the McCarthy Boulevard pump station Monday.
To avoid back-up into homes, sewage was screened, but not treated, then released into Wascana Creek.
The city says it had no choice, but residents downstream say there must be a better option.
"There are real people on the receiving end of this,” said Pat Lee, who lives along Pasqua Lake. “Sewage doesn't just go into a giant void and is forgotten."
Regina’s director of water works, Pat Wilson, says the city has undertaken a number of projects aimed at improving water quality downstream. Those projects include increasing capacity at the McCarthy pump station and the construction of a new water treatment plant.
"We are very concerned about both the environment and our residents,” Wilson said.
Last year, a similarly severe storm forced an even larger sewage bypass in Regina. The resulting spike in E. coli levels kept people out of the water.
The repercussions of this year’s sewage release aren’t yet known. The provincial Water Security Agency is conducting tests every two days to monitor water quality.
Based on a report by CTV Regina’s Morgan Campbell
