By Geoff Smith

Husky promises to “make things right” after spill, investigation ongoing

Jul 25, 2016 | 4:10 PM

A spokesperson for Husky Energy said the company is “deeply sorry” for the oil spill that has North Battleford and Prince Albert looking into alternate water sources.

“We realize this has been a very challenging time for everybody, with the spill impacting people, the environment, and local businesses,” Al Pate, Husky vice-president, said on Tuesday. “We accept full responsibility for the event and the cleanup, and we will make things right.”

Government officials said the response to the oil spill will take weeks, if not months, as they confirmed cleanup specialists are now on the site of the source of the oil leak, which happened Thursday, July 21 from a Husky pipeline near Maidstone. Wes Kotyk, executive director of the Ministry of Environment’s environmental protection branch, said it was difficult to say what percentage of the blended crude oil was recovered. But 70 cubic metres (70,000 litres) of oil mixed with soil was collected at the site of the leak, and approximately 118 cubic metres of oil mixed with water had been skimmed from the river.

Pate said Husky was focused on the first 20 km of shoreline to be cleaned up.

The leading edge of the oil plume reached Prince Albert by Tuesday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m. Sam Ferris, an official with the Water Security Agency, said a pipeline connecting Prince Albert to the South Saskatchewan River was expected to be complete by Wednesday.

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North Battleford continues to rely on its ground water treatment plant, but is also looking into building a pipeline to connect its river water treatment plant to the Battle River. City manager Jim Puffalt said city staff is in talks with a company that could filter oil out of water before it is treated, if needed.

Downstream from Prince Albert, Melfort officials plan to utilize a previously-used reservoir. However, advance notice was given of a precautionary drinking water advisory, as of 12 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, for Melfort and smaller users of the water system there.

Pate said Husky would help cover the costs to communities dealing with the spill, promising to “make it right.”

“You have to appreciate Saskatchewan has been our home for probably 80 years,” he said. “It’s where Husky began. We have more than 1,000 employees here, and their families – it’s their home and they care deeply and we care deeply about the communities and we’re all focused on making this right.”

Lo Cheng, director of environmental emergencies for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said an investigation is underway to determine which laws, if any, may have been violated. She wouldn’t comment further due to the open investigation.

Cheng said there is a lot of sediment in the river, mixing with the oil and causing it to sink to the river bottom, but the full cleanup is still being assessed.

When asked about the impact on wildlife, Kotyk said there were six dead animals reported: four birds, one fish and one frog, but more were likely.

Also assisting communities is the Ministry of Health, which is working with three regional health authorities to coordinate advice to the public if needed. Hospitals and long-term care facilities in North Battleford, Prince Albert, and Melfort were taking steps to conserve. Saskatchewan Hospital was using its own reservoir and providing water to the adjacent correctional facilities.

Pate wouldn’t comment on the impact on Husky’s production, saying the focus is on cleanup and recovery. He said the pipe was built in 1997 and has rigorous corrosion monitoring. But he added the company will learn what it can from this.

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco.