Saskatchewan city gets backup water supply ready as oil spill approaches
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Officials in Saskatchewan are preparing a city of more than 35,000 people to treat storm pond water as a backup as oil from a pipeline leak makes it way along a major river in the province.
Sam Ferris with Saskatchewan’s water security agency said Prince Albert gets most of its water from the North Saskatchewan River, and staff there are getting ready to shut down the intakes when oil from the leak flows past the city.
Ferris said the city is planning to treat water from storm water retention ponds and other reservoirs, which he said would last approximately seven days.
“At this time, we don’t think the plume is going to reach Prince Albert for some time, likely not before sometime later Sunday or early Monday,” Ferris told a media briefing on Saturday morning.