Temporary water line open to North Battleford, Sask., after Husky oil spill

A temporary water line is now flowing to a city that was forced to close its water intakes after an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River.

The City of North Battleford said the latest water samples taken from the temporary line between the city and the neighbouring town of Battleford are clear.

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North Battleford closed its drinking water intakes after a Husky Energy pipeline leak detected July 21 spilled up to 250,000 litres of oil mixed with a lighter hydrocarbon into the North Saskatchewan River near Maidstone.

However, people are still being asked to conserve water because the temporary line is only supplying about 30 per cent of the city’s supply.

The city said contractors are also drilling wells at a water treatment plant with the goal of having a second alternative water supply operating at the end of August.

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The cities of Prince Albert and Melfort also closed their water intakes after the spill — Prince Albert is using temporary lines to pump in water from other sources while Melfort is drawing water from a reservoir.