October 11, 2024 Update: On Friday, the City of Duluth announced that the cause of a sanitary sewer leak into Chester Creek has been repaired. The collapsed section of 15-inch sanitary sewer pipe has been replaced.

The repair was completed on Wednesday. Site clean-up was done on Thursday and Friday. The bypass installed to mitigate the overflow will remain in place over the next couple of weeks while contractors install a cured-in-place pipe liner. As a result, staff and equipment will be in the area.

The leak began October 2, and the last-noted sanitary sewer overflow in this incident was on October 4. No sewage has entered Chester Creek since then.

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.

October 8, 2024 Update: As of 4:30 p.m. on October 8, 2024, the City of Duluth is still advising that people and pets avoid Chester Creek out of an “abundance of caution,” but that primary repairs have been done on the sewer pipe. An additional update should be provided later in the week.

Original story: The MPCA says they and the City of Duluth are working to repair a collapsed 15-inch sewer pipe north of Chester Creek. As of Friday, sewage continues to be released. They advise people and pets to avoid contact with Chester Creek.

According to a press release sent Thursday from the City, the Utilities Operations team was notified Wednesday at 1 p.m. of a possible sanitary sewer backup near the intersection of Kenwood Avenue and College Street, North of Chester Bowl.

The City says crews worked through the afternoon and evening to clear the blockage with partial success. On Thursday, they were able to add additional staff and specialized equipment.

The trails in the park are not closed, but the city asks the public to be careful in the affected section.

The MPCA says it collected water samples from the release. They say people and pets should avoid contact with Chester Creek while the city works to make repairs. An estimate of how much was spilled was not available Friday.

The City has notified the Minnesota Duty Officer. According to the Minnesota BCA, “The Minnesota Duty Officer provides a single answering point for local and state agencies to request state-level assistance for emergencies, serious accidents, or incidents, or for reporting hazardous materials and petroleum spills.”

The City isn’t sure how long it will take to fix the issue and hasn’t said anything about environment impacts.