Wastewater in Whitehorse is no longer being diverted directly into the Yukon River after city of Whitehorse crews put a three-foot repair clamp on the sewer main in place on Sept. 6.
In a Sept. 7 update on the situation, the city of Whitehorse said the Marwell Lift Station is back in normal operating mode after being taken off line to deal with the repair.
The leak in the main on the east side of the Yukon River across from the Marwell neighbourhood was detected Aug. 24 as part of regular maintenance on the system. While efforts were underway to repair the leak, a larger crack was found near the original leak.
Initial repair attempts yielded no success due to high water levels and the amount of wastewater in the system. The city then said it would attempt to bypass the Marwell Lift Station by using a high capacity pump to divert wastewater into the river while the repair is underway.
In an earlier statement on Sept. 6, the city said the lift station was being bypassed with wastewater moving directly into the Yukon River to facilitate repairs. That was updated in the morning of Sept. 7 to note the work had been completed overnight.
“Thank you to city crews who have been working on this issue,” the statement reads.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com