Sewage flooded the Pattison Media Centre's basement on May 6, 2025. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill, Eli J. Ridder

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Sanitary back up caused flooding at CHAT TV building, Redcliff official says

May 8, 2025 | 10:44 AM

A sanitary back up at the Pattison Media Centre during a water main break led to the basement flooding earlier this week, a Redcliff official says.

Alyshia Neuman, operations director at the Town of Redcliff, said the failure occurred at Dirkson Drive Northeast just minutes before water was spotted rising out of the basement drains near the CHAT Television newsroom.

“The result of the backup was from the sanitary system becoming overwhelmed to the location of the water main break,” Neuman said in a Wednesday interview. That break was fixed within an hour but problems remained for CHAT TV.

“The volume of the water overwhelmed the system. As soon as we received the first call, crews were on site to correct the issue, and we responded accordingly.”

Water was first reported in the men’s washroom and the mechanical room at around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Within a half hour, there was over four centimetres of liquid covering the entire floor surface.

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Neuman said it was a mixture of fresh water, some sewage and a dark black liquid — that she said was likely the black sediment found in sanitary lines and drains that are caused by a combination of organics and other decaying material.

The sediment forms a black sludge and can be seen in lift stations and sanitary lines, she said.

It also has a strong smell that fans at the Pattison Media Centre are running constantly to combat.

Production and news staff were moved out of the basement and were able to put a half-length news show together by Wednesday evening.

The restoration company informed management that it could be several months until staff can return downstairs.