By paNOW Staff

UPDATE: P.A. residents advised to stock up on water as oil spill approaches

Jul 22, 2016 | 5:51 PM

Prince Albert may soon feel repercussions of the recent oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River.

The City of Prince Albert is advising residents to stock up on water over the next 24 hours as oil from the Husky Energy spill near Maidstone, Sask. approaches the city.

City manager Jim Toye said it’s likely the Water Treatment Plant intake from the North Sask. River will shut down on Sunday, July 24 as a precautionary measure. He said the booms which were supposed to contain the oil away from P.A. have breached, leading to the warning.

“After Sunday, if it reaches here… we may not be able to take water from the river for a few days,” Toye said.

According to him, there’s enough water in the reservoir for two days, but the city will have to look at new options for any time after that. Toye said officials are meeting tomorrow at noon to nail down specifics. 

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“It could potentially be a big issue but we hope it isn’t,” he said.

To stock up on water, locals are advised to fill jugs, buckets and tubs to ensure a sizable supply of usable water. As well, heavy usage activities such as car washes or lawn watering may be halted.

The Kinsmen Water Park and Spray Parks will be temporarily closed over the weekend due to the incoming oil.

The Prince Albert Rural Water Utility is asking rural residents to limit their water usage from the city as much as possible on Sunday and Monday when tending to their land. 

UPDATE:

Ministry officials have since said Prince Albert has enough water for approximately seven days. 

Shops in Prince Albert have also seen an increase in bottled water purchase. Real Canadian Superstore management confirmed to paNOW, the surge in sales prompted them to bring in three trailers of water in preparation for their customers. 

paNOW will have updates as they come in.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

EDITOR’s NOTE: This story was updated at 1:13 p.m. July 23, 2016 to include information from the Ministry of Environment.