“We are excited to start putting this funding to good use on the ground in the Modeste subwatershed,” said Lara Ellis, the organization’s director of strategic initiatives. “ALUS will quickly establish new natural infrastructure projects on agricultural land to mitigate flooding, increase drought resilience and improve water quality for Albertans.”

The funding is part of the provincial government’s strategy for reducing flooding risk through flood water storage capacity in upstream communities. This grant will allow participating farmers and ranchers to establish and maintain 650 acres of wetland restoration and riparian enhancement on their land. The Modeste subwatershed of the North Saskatchewan River has been identified as being a high priority for flood mitigation and water quality, and a moderate-high priority for drought. Advisory committees for three ALUS groups in this region — in Parkland, Brazeau, and Wetaskiwin-Leduc — will help identify the best sites for flood water capture and storage.

• Read more: One-stop shop for eco-services programs
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A cost-benefit analysis for the pro­ject will be done by Innotech Alberta, building on research done by the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, which identified the impacted riparian areas and is working with municipal partners to set riparian health objectives.

ALUS (pronounced Alice and short for Alternative Land Use Services) compensates farmers for providing ‘ecosystem services’ on their land. After starting in 2002 in Manitoba, ALUS came to Alberta in 2010 through a pilot project in the County of Vermilion River. ALUS Canada now has 10 Alberta chapters.

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The declaration covers all streams, creeks, lakes, and rivers feeding into the North Saskatchewan River and ends at the Saskatchewan border. Earlier declarations of infection have been made for the Bow, Oldman and Red Deer River watersheds.

Whirling disease, which has no impact on human health, is caused by a microscopic parasite of salmonid fish, including trout, salmon and whitefish. Rainbow, westslope cutthroat, and brook trout, as well as mountain whitefish, are particularly susceptible to whirling disease, though its impact differs among salmonid fish species and in different waterbodies.

The severity of whirling disease depends largely on the age and size of the salmonid host. Young fish are most vulnerable, with mortality rates reaching up to 90 per cent. Infected fish often display a ‘whirling’ swimming behaviour as well as skeletal deformities and changes in colour such as a dark or black tail.

The province has ramped up its response to whirling disease over the past year, including opening a whirling disease laboratory in Vegreville last summer and hiring additional staff for education and mitigation efforts. Researchers at the University of Alberta are working to develop non-lethal testing methods for the whirling disease parasite.

Anglers and boaters should adhere to Clean, Drain, Dry Your Gear protocols.

Whirling disease was first observed in the U.S. in the 1950s, and in the 1990s made a resurgence in states such as Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Montana. It has since been detected in 25 states and is particularly prevalent in western and northeastern areas of the U.S. It was found in Johnson Lake in Banff National Park in 2016, and in the Bow, Oldman and Red Deer River watersheds last year.

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The WSA on Friday announced it has lifted its advisories in relation to livestock watering and recreational uses such as water skiing and other activities. Those advisories took effect after a Husky Energy pipeline near Maidstone, Sask. leaked an estimated 225 cubic metres of crude oil into the river July 21.

The agency cautioned that its evaluations on impacts to aquatic life and “other uses such as fish and wildlife” are “ongoing and separate from this assessment.”

The WSA also gave SaskWater and the cities of Prince Albert, North Battleford and Melfort notice they can again begin diverting and treating water from the North Saskatchewan River and Codette Reservoir. Those intakes have been shut since the spill was confirmed.

The agency said its decision to allow the water intakes and treatment to resume comes after the recovery of about 88 per cent of the oil from the spill, plus “significant technical study, monitoring and review.”

The WSA said its decision stems from an overall water safety assessment from the technical group which has been working as part of the oil spill response to address “human health threats, the fate of the oil, treatment requirements and long-term monitoring.”

The assessment report said it assumes “direct residential use,” such as ingestion, bathing and/or showering, of untreated water from the North Saskatchewan River, thus its results are also “health-protective of direct‐contact recreational water activities” such as swimming in the river.

That assessment — later reviewed by federal, provincial and university experts and consultants for the affected municipalities — found the oil components still detected in the river “do not present unacceptable health risks to residents whose treated water supply will be sourced from the river once intake use restarts.”

The oil still in the river is mostly attached to fine river sediments, such as silt and clay, is dispersed mainly in points in the river less than 100 km downstream from the oil’s point of entry, and “will continue to degrade naturally,” the assessment said.

Affected municipalities are also advised to adjust their water treatment processes “to account for the current water quality of the sources,” to collect samples of treated water and test for petroleum components before the water goes to their distribution systems, and to advise their consumers of a “potential change in water quality” as those systems come back online.

North Battleford and Prince Albert, with funding from Husky, also plan to invest in “further temporary pre-treatment and treatment options,” the agency said.

Also, “an ongoing river water quality monitoring plan for potable water intakes will ensure that the water quality impacts due to the river cleanup and changing river conditions can be adequately assessed over time,” the assessment report said. — AGCanada.com Network

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Jenifer Heyden, livestock specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in North Battleford, said ministry staffers and Husky Energy did work with a few producers who were having trouble accessing alternate water sources, to “rectify the situation.”

Water samples haven’t exceeded guidelines for agricultural use, but Heyden said livestock producers should follow the recreational water advisory.

On top of its recommendations against swimming and other direct contact, the advisory recommended livestock and pets do not access the water, Heyden said.

The reasoning, she added, is that “if it’s not safe for people, it’s probably not safe for livestock at this point either.”

The Saskatchewan government is also advising people not to eat fish from the North Saskatchewan River.

Mel Duvall, media manager for Husky Energy, wrote via email that Husky doesn’t have an exact number for how many livestock producers border the river.

Husky staff, he said, “have been in touch with all landowners that have adjacent lands and have offered our assistance should they need it.

“We have offered to truck water in if required and to reimburse for any expenses incurred, for such things as water troughs,” he said.

But Husky hasn’t had many requests from livestock producers, he added. “Most are looking after things themselves or getting support from their neighbours.”

Livestock producers can call Husky’s toll-free line, 1-844-461-7991, for claim information and assistance, Heyden said.

Over 800 people are working on the spill, according to the latest update from the Saskatchewan government.

The city of Prince Albert is again providing water to the rural water utility, mobile home parks and a water crane. Workers are also disinfecting some sections of the rural water utility’s distribution system.

Aquatic life

As of Aug. 7, over 2,100 water samples had been collected, and over 1,400 of the samples analyzed, according to the latest update from the technical working group analyzing water quality in the North Saskatchewan.

That update, posted on the Husky website, focused on the spill’s potential impact on aquatic life.

Workers have found spilled oil on the shoreline, within the water, and in the river’s sediment, mostly within 20 km of the spill. So far 37 samples had toluene levels exceeding aquatic life guidelines. Toluene was also found to exceed aquatic life guidelines in samples collected as benchmarks upstream of the spill.

As well, eight samples had pyrene and five samples had other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons breaching aquatic life guidelines.

Toluene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons occur naturally in crude oil and are known to have toxic effects on people and animals.

Fish spawn

As of Thursday, the Saskatchewan government reported 97 wildlife mortalities, including 48 fish, 33 birds, two reptiles and 16 small mammals. The working group update said mussels, invertebrates, and fish eggs and embryos may be more vulnerable, as they may not be able to avoid heavy oil.

The working group also plans to report on how the spill might affect the fish spawn this fall.

Fish will also be collected and tested to see how the spill might be affecting fish populations, and to gauge the risk to human health. Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health will undertake those tests, the report noted.

Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency is also sampling and analyzing water quality independently of the working group.

The technical working group includes public health experts, engineers, biologists, toxicologists, and environmental specialists from Husky, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment, the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, and Matrix Solutions.

More information on Husky’s response is available online. –– AGCanada.com Network

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The July 20 leak from a Husky Energy pipeline into the North Saskatchewan River has forced tens of thousands to find other sources of drinking water, including the Saskatchewan cities of Prince Albert and North Battleford as well as area farmers and others relying on affected water sources.

The water tests were conducted by a group including government and Husky officials and independent experts.

All of the samples that exceeded health guidelines were found within 20 km of the spill, and none have exceeded guidelines since July 24.

“That would suggest there is not an ongoing issue, which is fairly expected,” said Paul Nony, a senior toxicologist at Arkansas consulting firm Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health.

Oil doesn’t mix well with water, but typically clings to organic material or the shoreline, Nony noted, adding that “we’re not seeing any surprises.”

However, more testing, monitoring and a formal risk assessment study are necessary before the river can be used as a drinking water source, said Patrick Boyle, spokesman for the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.

Samples were collected on the river’s surface and at different depths, down to its bottom. A separate study will examine the spill’s impact on aquatic life.

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the spill was the third in the same area in eight months, according to government records. The failed pipeline had not been inspected by Saskatchewan’s energy regulator since it was constructed 19 years ago.

Asked about the findings, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said his government has been working to bolster regulation.

“There is a requirement too that companies provide that inspection and that oversight, and you know we’re going to do an investigation into this,” said Wall. “We’re going to find out answers to questions like that.”

— Rod Nickel is a Reuters correspondent covering the agriculture and mining sectors from Winnipeg. Additional reporting for Reuters by Allison Martell.

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