Water restrictions lifted for North Battleford, Sask. businesses

Some good news for car washes in North Battleford:

After being shut down for more than a month, the city has lifted all water restrictions for businesses.

North Battleford has been on water restrictions of one sort or another ever since a Husky Energy pipeline leak was discovered in late July. The city was forced to stop using water from the North Saskatchewan River after approximately 200,000 litres of oil and chemicals spilled.

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Outside watering restrictions are still in place for the time being, although the city said all restrictions should be lifted in a matter of days.

North Battleford has been using an emergency waterline from the nearby town of Battleford to supply itself with drinking water. It is also planning to drill a number of water wells for the city's use. Two of four of those wells are already temporarily connected to the water system.

Restrictions on laundromats had been lifted by city administration last month.

North Battleford said it won't be drawing water from the North Saskatchewan River until the provincial Water Security Agency confirms that the water is safe.