Utility says water safe to drink after Edmonton pipeline leak

According to Edmonton’s water utility, the pipeline leak south of Drayton Valley has run its course past the city, leaving no cause for concern about the safety of Edmonton’s drinking water.

On Monday, Bonterra Energy Corp., a Calgary-based oil and gas producer, issued an update to the pipeline fracture and leak, which was discovered and reported to the Alberta Energy Regulator on Aug. 15.

According to the company, the approximately 40,000-litre leak of saltwater and oil into Washout Creek, 18 kilometres south of Drayton Valley, Alta., was caused by a pipeline that severed after the collapse of a creek bank following flooding.

The company said it has 70 workers involved in the expected three-week cleanup effort at the creek, which feeds the North Saskatchewan River — Edmonton’s source of drinking water.

Bonterra said the cleanup will continue until “all recoverable fluid has been retrieved.”

The first week of cleanup will involve intense recovery efforts, while the next two weeks will include shoreline monitoring, the company added.

According to Epcor, the city’s water and power utility received notification of the spill the day it was discovered by Alberta Environment and Parks, which notifies those with an intake in the river when there is a spill or a change in water conditions. In an emailed statement Monday, Epcor said the spill was expected to reach Edmonton 24 to 30 hours after it was reported.

“We monitored the water and increased treatment as needed,” the statement read. “At this point, the potential emulsion from the pipeline rupture has passed Edmonton.”

Epcor maintains the drinking water in Edmonton, and in other communities surrounding the city that get their water through the utility, is safe to consume.