
Wall says more tests needed before water intakes reopen after oil spill
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Premier Brad Wall says more tests are needed before drinking water intakes can be reopened after an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River, despite good preliminary results.
A report released Wednesday by Husky Energy said more than 900 water samples taken at about 60 locations from the spill site near Maidstone to Prince Albert, about 385 kilometres downstream, have met Canadian drinking water standards since July 24.
“That still means there’s more work to be done by the way and more testing that needs to be done, especially as we know that the oil in the water could have settled,” Wall said in North Battleford.
A Husky pipeline leak detected on July 21 spilled up to 250,000 litres of oil mixed with a lighter hydrocarbon called a diluent into the North Saskatchewan River near Maidstone.