Residents asked to cut down on water use amid wastewater incident

Residents are being urged to conserve water as the Town of Cochrane remains under a Level 3 water restriction.

A sewer line was ruptured near Riverfront Park on Saturday, causing wastewater to flow into the Bow River.

This prompted an Emergency Alert to be issued by the Town of Cochrane on Saturday night.

Shawn Polley, fire chief with Cochrane Fire Services said a contractor was doing work near a main sewer line when the break occurred. 

"Unfortunately during the initial stages of getting set up, the contractor struck a sewer line and caused a spill and the flow and discharge that has been working its way from Riverfront Park down into the Bow River."  

Polley said it's a team effort to clean up the area.

"We'll work with our regulator partners. That work is going to start right at the site and then we'll start working in the affected areas. We'll have lots of help and lots of support there and we've been getting lots of really good advice and feedback from those regulators." 

Ensuring water remains safe to drink is imperative for the town. 

"That has been the number one top priority from the Emergency Coordination Centre is the safety of the residents and drinking water. Right alongside that is the stop flow of the effluent getting into the Bow River. Hand-in-hand we are protecting the town's drinking water and supply." 

Right now, Cochranites are being asked to do what they can to reduce their water usage. 

Multiple pathways next to the Bow River from the Hwy 22 bridge to Griffin Industrial Point remain closed. 

Polley anticipates pathways near Riverfront Park to be closed for the next few days. 

Further updates can be found HERE. 

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