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UPDATED: City of Duluth provides update on sanitary sewer repair near Chester Creek

[DULUTH] The collapsed section of 15-inch sanitary sewer pipe that caused a sanitary sewer leak into Chester Creek on 10/2 has been replaced. The repair was completed on Wednesday, with much of yesterday and today dedicated to site clean-up. The bypass installed to mitigate the overflow will be kept in place while contractors install a cured-in-place pipe liner over the next couple of weeks. The public may notice staff and equipment in the area for the duration of that work as a result.

The last-noted sanitary sewer overflow in this incident was Friday, October 4. No sewage has entered Chester Creek since that overflow. While the City of Duluth does not ever guarantee the quality or safety of a natural body of water, signage alerting the public of the sewage overflow is being removed from the area. The public should continue to use its own best judgment in making contact with any natural body of water, including Chester Creek.

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UPDATED: City of Duluth responding to sanitary sewer blockage near College Street and Kenwood Avenue—updated 4:00 PM 10/4/24

[DULUTH, MN] City of Duluth Utilities Operations was notified at around 1:00 PM on Wednesday, October 2 of a possible sanitary sewer backup near the intersection of Kenwood Avenue and College Street. Utilities crews responded and identified a sewer release occurring near Chester Creek due to a collapsed 15-inch sewer pipe.  

City of Duluth Utilities Operations staff worked Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3 to construct an access trail to allow equipment to safely access the site of the sanitary sewer repair. They were able to partially open the broken sanitary sewer and temporarily stop the overflow. Closed circuit televising indicated a broken segment of sanitary sewer main at the site of the overflow. Crews continue to work to contain the sewage within the pipe, to identify a contractor that can make the emergency repair as quickly as feasible, and to prepare the site to stage bypass pumping equipment at the upper manhole to mitigate future overflows.

Citizens may notice staff and equipment in the Chester Bowl area constructing access lanes to the site. Some trails in Chester Bowl may be closed or detoured without notice.

The City of Duluth is committed to protecting life, property, and to minimizing the environmental impact of this sanitary sewer overflow and repair. The City of Duluth is working in partnership with MPCA and DNR to assess the impact of the overflow.

People and pets should avoid any contact with Chester Creek at this time. Most trails in the park remain open, but the public is asked to utilize caution in the affected section. The anticipated duration of this repair is unknown at this time.

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