Timmins reports ongoing sanitary sewer overflow at Whitney-Tisdale pump station

The City of Timmins says a sanitary sewer overflow was reported at Station 2 of the Whitney-Tisdale Pump Station at 57 Evans Street, starting at 3:02 p.m. on March 9, 2026. The city listed the end date and end time as “on-going,” and the volume by-passed as “TBD.”

The notice matters for residents because sanitary sewer overflows can occur during periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, and the city is asking households to reduce water use during rainstorms to help limit flows through the system.

According to the city’s Environmental Services Department, municipal wastewater consists of 99% water from stormwater and from homes and businesses through activities such as washing and flushing.

The city said a bypass or overflow can occur when a treatment plant or treatment process is overwhelmed, often during heavy rainfall and/or snowmelt. During a by-pass or overflow, the city said partially treated wastewater is diverted away from a treatment process to prevent backups, overflows or damage to the system.

In the same notice, the city said residents can help “mitigate flows” by delaying or limiting what it described as unnecessary water use during rainstorms, including laundry, longer showers and dishwashing.

The city did not provide an estimate for the amount of wastewater by-passed in the notice.