There are slope stability issues along the North Saskatchewan River, where a Husky Energy pipeline burst last summer, according to a University of Saskatchewan geoscientist.
“We’re living with these rivers in the province and if we choose to have infrastructure over them then we have to acknowledge these risks,” geoscientist Grant Ferguson said Friday.
FULL COVERAGE: North Saskatchewan River Husky oil spill
Ferguson spoke to reporters in the wake of a Husky Energy report released Thursday on the cause of its pipeline break near Maidstone in late July. It found that ground movement from rainfall, poor drainage and a weak clay foundation, led to a pipeline breaking.
“We see slope movements, in all kind of shapes and forms,” Ferguson said.
“This … sounded like it was a pretty complicated one.”
The pipeline break spilled 225,000 litres of blended crude in and around the North Saskatchewan River. The situation affected drinking water intakes to a number of communities, including North Battleford and Prince Albert.
Husky reported that the pipeline was built in 1997 and an assessment at the time concluded the area was inactive and featured no ground movement. Ferguson said activity levels can change.
“As the amount of pour water pressure or the water tables come up, the soils become weaker … these things are more likely to happen,” he said.
READ MORE: Husky Energy says response to Saskatchewan oil spill cost $90 million
The oil spill could bring about change to how companies test and monitor projects on and around riverbanks. Husky indicated they will use “additional monitoring technologies” going forward on the slope, while Ferguson said the situation could lead to introspection within the geology community.
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