Workers clean up after a sewer leak in Green Bay Feb. 24, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Wastewater leaked in downtown Green Bay for the second time in less than two weeks due to a valve being left open, officials revealed Friday.
Tuesday’s leak was discovered just before 10:30 a.m. at a sewer bypass pipe near Pine and N. Roosevelt streets. Crews were able to stop the leak within half an hour and cleanup efforts were completed by 3:15 p.m.
An estimated 160 gallons were released to the ground surface. However, unlike the Feb. 12 leak, no wastewater reached the storm sewer system or the East River. In that instance, an estimated 8,560 gallons of wastewater were released, and of that, about 2,200 gallons entered the storm sewer system or the East River.
NEW Water announced Friday the cause of Tuesday’s leak.
“The release occurred after startup of the temporary conveyance system, when wastewater was released through a 1/4 inch valve that had been inadvertently left open,” a news release said, adding, “Preventative measures have been taken, and additional inspections and monitoring of the bypass system will be conducted.”
Both leaks were associated with an ongoing sewer project by NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District. NEW Water owns and operates miles of underground pipes — including a series of larger, deeper pipes called an interceptor system — located throughout Northeast Wisconsin. In downtown Green Bay, portions of this system have been in operation for nearly 100 years “and are in need of improvements in order to revitalize critical, aging infrastructure to protect public health and the environment.”
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