UPDATE: P.A. finds new source of water

“This new pipeline will be approximately 5.5 km long,” Jeff Da Silva engineering services manager said.

He added it was not likely a long-term option for the city.

“I think it would be tricky for this to be a sustainable option. That’s something that, once we have it in place we will be speaking with regulators, it’s a controlled water source, but again there’s limits to those controls, so we couldn’t have an answer for that yet,” Da Silva said.

The East road access to the Little Red River Park is currently restricted. Residents in the area have been told to use the West entrance instead.

In the city, access to River St. W. near the city’s water treatment plant will be monitored and limited, with security overlooking pipeline construction.

Completion of the city’s other backup plan, involving a pipeline coming from the South Saskatchewan River, is still ongoing, city manager Jim Toye explained.

“It is nearing completion, the pipe is all laid down, they’re going to be hooking up the pumps and we still want to have that up and running by late this week, so that does look very promising,” he said.

The city started using water from its storm retention pond at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, and has approximately three full days of water left. Toye said without the new shorter pipeline and water from the retention pond, the city would have run out of water Wednesday.

Toye mentioned residences and business continue to comply with the city’s request not to waste water, adding no tickets for violating the water conservation bylaw had been issued yet.

EXPERTS ARRIVING

Mayor Greg Dionne said at the press conference, an oil spill cleanup expert Ed Owens, paid for by Husky, will be coming to look at the river and test it in coming days.

“He has already said, ‘I think I have a solution, I’ve dealt with that before,’” he said. “That’s what we need, we need that kind of expert on, that can tell us about this oil.”

As well an official with Husky Energy is in Prince Albert and will be meeting with businesses in coming days to discuss claims.

WALL VISIT

Dionne said Premier Brad Wall will not be coming to Prince Albert tomorrow for a scheduled visit.

“We don’t need Brad Wall. Not that I’m being rude about it, we did hear that he was going to come so (I) phoned his office and had a discussion with Minister Reiter, and they were coming more to give us support. I talk to (them) daily and give them a list of things we need and they dispatch it from Regina. So I would sooner have them sitting in their offices in Regina than in Prince Albert,” he said.

On July 21 a pipeline burst east of Lloydminister, leaking at least 200,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River. On July 25, the oil slick made its way into the city of Prince Albert city limits forcing the city to implement drastic water conservation methods.

paNOW will have more information on this developing story as it comes in.

jkadzviti@panow.com

On Twitter: @julietkadzviti

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was edited at 4:32 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27 to include an additional detail — that water will not begin flowing immediately within 48 hours.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was edited at 5:38 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27 to include an update after today’s press conference.

by Juliet Kadzviti

UPDATE: P.A. finds new source of water

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