A water pipeline from the South Saskatchewan River should be operational by Saturday evening, but residents of Prince Albert are still facing a water shortage.

There are just four days of reserve water left in the city, but officials are hopeful that water from two new pipelines will be safe to drink early next week.

Water from the Little Red River water line has been tested and will be pumping soon and a line from the South Saskatchewan River is expected to be ready by Saturday night. But, the water isn’t safe for people to drink.

“We’re not just going to take it,” Prince Albert city manager Jim Toye said Saturday. “It’s going to go back into the river until we know it’s 100 per cent the quality that our citizens deserve as far as potable water.”

Testing of the pipeline will continue on Sunday and the water should be safe to drink by Tuesday.

Crews have identified the site of the pipeline failure two to three metres underground on the riverbank. Oil has been removed from the pipeline and the damaged section will be removed. Six kilometres along the shoreline have been cleaned and 95 per cent of an assessment to Highway 21 is complete.

“Right now, we’re in the first phase of containing and recovery of the oil,” oil spill consultant Ed Owens said. “There’s no mobile oil left in the water, so we’re washing it off the riverbanks to contain and collect it.”

Crews are still working on water analysis, but cleanup efforts are going well.

“We have a program of sampling, a detailed program, looking for any oil that might be in the water column or on the bottom,” Owens added. “None of the samples that have been collected and analyzed so far show any oil in the river settlements on the bottom.”

Water reservoirs have been set up for the RM of Prince Albert rural water supply and the areas are under a drinking water advisory. Aside from the Muskaday First Nation, everyone on this network have water in their homes. Muskaday has reserve water for another day and a half and officials are working on sending alternative water supplies to the community.

North Battleford’s reservoirs are in good condition and there are plans to complete a pipeline between Battleford and North Battleford by Tuesday.

Based on a report by CTV Saskatoon’s Taylor Rattray