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River intakes able to open; N.B. to wait and use filtration system

Sep 16, 2016 | 12:29 PM

The North Saskatchewan River water intakes are able to be opened again after the July Husky Oil Spill, but the city of North Battleford is going to wait.

As of Friday, Sept. 16, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) confirmed the water quality of the river is safe for treatment and the water intake structures in North Battleford, Melfort and Prince Albert are able to be opened again. However North Battleford has decided not to open up the river water intakes right away and continue to use the current supplies.

City Communication Coordinator Susanne Abe said the city will be installing the pre-treatment sand filtration system previously discussed as part of alternate water plans.

“We just want to take additional precautionary measures and we are implementing the filtration system that we talked about that will draw water through the filtration system into the plant,” she said.

The pre-treatment system will source water from the river, pump it through its own filtration and then into the treatment system of the F.E. Holliday Water Treatment Plant.

Husky Energy will reimburse the City of North Battleford for the lease of the system for one year, which is currently being developed by GE Electric and will be used starting in late fall.

“We’re still using and will be using the town water (line) and the water that comes in through the wells,” Abe said. “Once we have to turn off the water from the town of Battleford, because when it will be freezing we won’t be able to use it anymore, we will have the filtration system in place.”

As for when the river intakes will be used again, Abe said it will be looked at after winter.

“We’re going to do the dredging that was planned in July that we had to reschedule for the intake. We will be doing this in fall as well so that in the spring we will be ready to use the water intake as we would normally use it at the F.E. Holliday Plant,” she said.

Abe added nothing is changing for residents and businesses because the restrictions were already lifted but she asks people still follow the odd-even watering schedule.

 

Matt Kelly is battlefordsNOW’s town municipal affairs and community reporter. He can be reached at mkelly@jpbg.ca or tweet him @mattjkelly2.