City of Prince Albert officials say a pipeline carrying water 30 kilometres to the community from the South Saskatchewan River won’t be ready until Friday.
Prince Albert City Manager Jim Toye said the line is in place, but the pumps to carry the water to the city are not yet ready.
“It is not progressing as we expected,” said Toye at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
To ensure the city has enough water until the pipeline is operational, officials will begin transporting water from the city’s retention pond.
Water from this pond will provide fresh drinking water to city residents for an additional four to five days until the water line is up and ready.
City officials have also said water usage in the city has clearly gone down since the restrictions have been put in place.
“We want to thank businesses and citizens for adhering to these restrictions,” said Toye. “It is making our job much easier.”
While Toye was thankful for P.A. residents, he did not speak as positively about Husky Energy.
He says the city is disappointed to hear Husky Energy’s delay in reporting the leak.
“With a company like that, you would think they would want to get this information to the public as soon as possible — but it appears they didn’t do that.”
Toye says he heard about the spill through news reports.
Husky Energy has said they will be providing compensation for businesses and communities affected by the oil spill.
Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne says a process has been put in place for businesses to file claims for compensation.
Some residents have been under the assumption that Husky will be providing compensation for purchases of bottled water. However, Dionne says that may not be the case.
“People have to understand we are delivering safe and drinkable water, so I don’t think Husky Energy will compensate for that,” said Dionne.
The water use restrictions in the city will continue.