Sewer line break in Cochrane causes discharge into Bow River

A main sewer line break occurred yesterday in the town of Cochrane, causing an overland sewage discharge that flowed into the Bow River at the Highway 22 bridge.

Cochrane drinking water is not affected by the sewage and remains safe to drink.

Stacy Loe is the executive director of protective and community services for Cochrane. She said the town found out about the problem at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

"Crews have been onsite overnight, and the mitigation efforts continue to be underway," she told CBC News.

She said the problem occurred when a contractor, working on behalf of the town, was setting up drilling work near the wastewater line.

The Town of Cochrane has activated an Emergency Coordination Centre. The City of Calgary, Rocky View County, and Alberta Environment and Parks are all working to fix the problem.

Loe said that, as of Sunday morning, only "minimal flow" of sewage was reaching the Bow River.

She said couldn't estimate how much sewage reached the river before it was diverted.

Officials are asking people to avoid the area so crews can respond to the incident. Eastbound Griffin Road is down to one lane of traffic. All pathways adjacent to the Bow River have been closed – from Riverfront Park to Griffin Industrial Point. This includes the Jim Uffelmann Memorial Park.