A report into the Husky oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River found that the pipeline’s dual alarm leak detection system issued notices of potential problems the day before the leak was discovered.
The detection system continued to issue alarms until it was shut down for scheduled maintenance on the morning of July 21, 2016.
That is one of the findings the Saskatchewan government released on Thursday following an investigation into the Husky Energy oil spill near Maidstone.
FULL COVERAGE: North Saskatchewan River Husky oil spill
The final report has been sent to the Ministry of Justice for review, which will include Husky’s reasons for not shutting down the system and determine if the company will face any charges stemming from the incident.
An official with the Ministry of Economy confirmed Thursday that the public prosecution’s branch is considering two pieces of legislation that call for penalties of one-million dollars and $50,000 respectively “for each day the offence continues.”
While the report is not being released to the public at this time, government officials have released some details into its findings.
The report concluded that the leak from the pipeline started on July 20, 2016, the day before it was discovered, however provincial officials will not reveal the exact time of the breach since the matter is under investigation.
The government was first notified of the spill at around 8:30 a.m. the following morning by a person who saw an oil slick on the river near the bridge.
Staff were dispatched from Lloydminster and arrived at the bridge around 9:35 a.m. They confirmed that there was a significant amount of oil on the river and began to search for the source.
Around 15 minutes later, Husky officials confirmed that they had received a report of oil on the river and were investigating.
Ten minutes later, Husky contacted the Ministry of the Economy to confirm the leak from the pipeline at its crossing upstream from the bridge at which time the government activated a multi-agency response to deal with the spill.
READ MORE: Sask. Environmental Society seeks public inquiry into Husky oil spill
Approximately 225 cubic metres (225,000 litres) of oil blended with distillates leaked from the pipeline, of which roughly 60 per cent was contained or recovered on land.
A Ministry of Environment official said Thursday that roughly 93 per cent of the entire spill has been recovered so far.
The leak affected thousands of people downstream as communities shut off water intakes and scrambled to find alternate water supplies.
Husky has estimated it has spent $107 million to clean up the spill.
It was determined that the break was due to mechanical cracking in a buckle in the pipeline caused by ground movement on the slope over many years.
READ MORE: Husky report finds ground movement caused spill in North Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Energy and Resources Minister Dustin Duncan said the government is taking steps to strengthen pipeline regulations in the province based on findings in the report.
“Since the Husky spill in July, we’ve recognized that we need to do better when it comes to preventing incidents,” Duncan said.
“The changes announced today will help ensure that workers and the environment are well-protected moving forward.”
Those changes include developing a compliance audit of the integrity management programs of companies operating pipelines across major water crossings and developing appropriate regulatory standards for water crossings.
There are also plans to review the design of legacy water crossings to determine if additional measures are needed to manage geotechnical risk.
“We have consulted with industry on these actions,” Duncan said.
“Working together, we will ensure the timely implementation of any changes.”
READ MORE: Oil spill in southwest Alberta estimated at 25,000 litres: Husky Energy
The Saskatchewan government also announced additional measures it is taking in the 2017-18 provincial budget.
An additional $1.4 million is being provided to the Ministry of Economy to add 13 full-time field inspectors and to provide start-up funding for a pipeline regulation enhancement program.
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