Council is also expected to pass measures putting residents and businesses under strict water restrictions.
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The heavy oil and diluent leaked from Husky’s Saskatchewan Gathering System pipeline on Thursday, flowing into the North Saskatchewan River, which supplies drinking water to several communities in the western Canadian province.
The city of Prince Albert declared a state of emergency on Monday after shutting off its water supply intake as the contaminated water inched closer and closer to the city. The city also has a groundwater supply, but Ferris said the amount of water that can be treated from it is limited, particularly during the summer when demand is high.
“Right now, we are not receiving any water into our plant from the North Saskatchewan River”. He added that four birds, one frog and one fish have died as a result of the spill so far.
Prince Albert, a city of about 35 thousand people, northeast of Saskatoon, gets most of its water from the river, and city staff was said to be on stand-by to shut off intakes.
The City of Prince Albert is rolling out a 30-kilometre waterline connecting its water treatment plant to the South Saskatchewan River. The city issued a statement on late Friday that urged residents to fill bathtubs and water jugs with water over the next day. Water levels increased on Friday, pushing debris into the booms upstream from North Battleford, a city of 14,000, and the oil continued to moved downward.
“Some businesses that use a lot of water, such as vehicle washes, laundromats – they will be shut down”, Toye said, adding that anyone violating the rules could face a $1,000 fine.
Auto washes, laundromats and any other businesses that consume high volumes of water would also be closed. Fingas said of the spill: “It probably poses very little threat to aquatic life”.
Prince Albert’s water plan covers two months, but Toye said its supply may be strained longer.
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Who pays for oil spill? He said: “The water is quite dirty with suspended particulates and whatnot, and in some cases you can get oil attached to those particulates.If you run into these semi-floating blobs of mud and oil, that can be more problematic”. “So, certainly we believe Husky should be responsible for all the expenses that we incur”. The Saskatchewan Premier, Brad Wall, who is known for his strong support of pipelines, said that his support for them was not changed by the spill, saying:”The facts remain that if we’re not moving by a pipeline, it’s going to move …”
