A Saskatchewan government official says booms are becoming less effective at controlling oil from the Husky Energy pipeline breach.
Wes Kotyk, with the province’s Ministry of Environment, says oil on the surface is dispersing as it moves along the North Saskatchewan River, making it more difficult to skim off.
He says there are nine booms placed in locations where they’re believed to be most effective.
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There is no clean-up plan yet for oil that has sunk beneath the surface of the river because not enough is known about how this particular blend of crude behaves in water.
Sam Ferris, with the province’s Water Security Agency, says the city of North Battleford’s reservoirs are holding up well while its treatment plant is shut down, but alternatives are being considered.
He says one of those options would be to pre-treat the oil-tainted river water before it enters the plant.