The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is currently upgrading a section of the Departure Bay Forcemain that required immediate repair to reduce the risk of failure. During forcemain construction, the Departure Bay Pump Station can only operate at 70 percent of its pumping capacity due to smaller bypass pipes that must be used. During extreme or sustained wet weather events, a temporary overflow of untreated wastewater may occur when system capacity is exceeded. Public notices are posted at the Brechin and Millstone overflow locations alerting the public of the risk while the necessary upgrades are underway.
Today at 10:10 a.m., the system’s capacity was exceeded due to the sustained wet weather we have experienced over the past few days. Untreated wastewater is being discharged into the ocean at the Brechin overflow location. The overflow is expected to stop when the weather clears later today.