PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Some rural water utility customers whose service was affected by an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River last month may be getting a break on their bills.
Prince Albert Rural Water Utility general manager Ken Danger says the utility hasn’t decided, yet, how customers will be compensated but says he fully expects something will be done.
The City of Prince Albert supplies the utility, but had to turn off the taps to conserve water when a Husky Energy spill upstream near Maidstone forced it to shut its intakes on the river.
The rural utility purchased storage tanks and water was trucked in from Melfort, Saskatoon and Waskesiu, but when the city’s supply was restored, rural customers still had to boil their water until last weekend.
Danger says the rural utility continues to experience some water discoloration but crews are working to clean it up.
Prince Albert’s intakes on the river remain closed, and the city is supplying its treatment plant with temporary water pipelines that have been built to the Little Red and South Saskatchewan rivers.
(CKBI)