Wapiti Valley, Saskatchewan. Photo courtesy of Enns Kivin, Facebook.
Husky Oil will resume cleanup on the North Saskatchewan River after last year’s oil spill at Maidstone that had a major impact on communities further downstream.
Some of the company’s activities include: observation and removal of any oil impacted lands, a wildlife assessment and community engagement with impacted towns and First Nations.
Wes Kotyk with the Environment Department says last year’s cleanup efforts recovered close to 93 per cent of the spill, and there is a good chance to be able to recover more this spring.
He says a monitoring plan is being developed to determine if there are any submerged or sunken deposits upstream from the spill.
James Smith Cree Nation was one of the communities affected by the 2016 incident and Chief Wally Burns says they will be working close with Husky to see what remnants still remain along the river.
He says he has been contacted by the company but a date hasn’t been set when they will meet.
Meantime, he says the reserve will be re-opening their command centre that was set up last year to monitor the river and how the oil impacted traditional uses along the North Saskatchewan.
“We are hoping to bring back the same crew to start checking the riverbank, but there is still ice along the shore, so we don’t have anyone going down to check on the river,” he added.
Burns says it’s too soon to say if or when the community will take any formal action against Husky. He said council is reviewing its bylaws for any violations that could lead to charges.
A post cleanup assessment will be developed by Husky, along with the Ministry of Environment and the federal government, using the province’s environmental code for any corrective action plans.
The environment department says Husky Oil will be responsible for all the costs associated with the cleanup.