A sewage leak occurred near the lake in the Lisky district of Mykolaiv — the water utility says the effluent did not enter the lake

A sewage leak has been reported near the lake in «Liski» Park. Photo: Yana, Mykolaiv City Council Contact Centre

A sewage leak was spotted near the lake in Lisky Park. It transpired that it was caused by a pump failure at the Strasse market, where repairs are being carried out on a sewer main.

«Mykolaivvodokanal» reported this in a comment to NikVesti.

A resident named Yana reported the leak to the Mykolaiv City Council’s Contact Centre group. She asked for the fault to be rectified and for the consequences of the sewage leak near the lake to be dealt with.

The resident pointed out that the sewage is entering the stormwater drainage system, which runs alongside the lake, and may subsequently end up in the Southern Buh River. She also noted that this is causing a foul odour near the residential complex in Namyv neighbourhood.

«This polluted water flows alongside the houses, in particular the «Apelsin» residential complex at 47, 47-A and 47-B Ozerna Street, and along the garage cooperatives. The stormwater drainage system is currently full of silt and overgrown with reeds. I request that this system be cleared so that rainwater and other water do not stagnate there and prevent rotting and fermentation, which result in a foul odour constantly experienced by residents of the neighbouring houses,» Yana noted.

«Mykolaivvodokanal» informed NikVesti that they are dealing with the aftermath of the leak. It occurred due to a pump failure near the «Strasse» market.

«There was a fault with the pumping equipment at «Strasse». This led to a leak from the sewerage network. «Mykolaivvodokanal» is taking all necessary measures to minimise damage to the environment. Back-up equipment was installed today,» the water utility reported.

The water utility also states that the effluent did not enter the lake but remained on the ground, as an embankment had been built near the lake following a previous leak.

Repairs to the sewer main at the «Strasse» market. Photo: «Mykolaivvodokanal»

Sewer pipe failure at the Strasse market

In February 2025, a sewer main collapsed at the Strasse market in Mykolaiv. The water utility’s management noted that the market had been built in breach of national building regulations: the market stalls are situated directly above a concrete sewer, which has suffered significant gas corrosion and is in a state of disrepair.

In September, the water utility reported in response to an enquiry from NikVesti that, since the accident which occurred a year and a half ago, 25 metres of 500-millimetre-diameter pipework had been replaced.

A contract for the repair of the sewer has now been signed with Ukrspetsoborudovanie LLC, which has offered to carry out the work for 7.49 million hryvnias. The repairs are to be funded by donors.

The director of the water utility announced at a staff meeting on 5 October that the repairs are scheduled to be completed in October.

Sewage leaks into the lake in Lisky Park

In the spring, sewage entered the lake in Lisky Park. Environmental inspectors recorded levels exceeding the limits for suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, ammonium nitrogen, nitrates and phosphates.

In response to an information request from NikVesti, the water and sewerage authority stated that the entity responsible for the gravity-fed sewerage network on Industrialna Street, from which effluent had leaked into the lake, is Eraagro Ltd.

Following the incident, the damaged manhole was repaired and an earth embankment was constructed. However, rubbish was found near the manhole during the summer.

Read more in the article NikVesti: «Sewage leaks into the lake and a climate change indicator in Mykolaiv: the state of Lisky Park».