Husky oil spill: more than 2,000 pipelines in Saskatchewan database
Smaller flowlines numbered 68,000 in 2011, auditor said
There are more than 2,000 pipelines licensed to operate in Saskatchewan, according to the Ministry of the Economy — and the number shoots up when smaller flowlines are considered.
The ministry's database of licensed pipelines has 2,062 entries, most of them oil and gas pipelines. They range in length from a few metres to 291 kilometres.
A relatively small portion are for moving water, steam, carbon dioxide and other substances through the oil patch.
Husky oil pipeline 1 of hundreds in province
Saskatchewan's pipelines have been on the public's mind lately after a massive oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River.
Prince Albert, North Battleford and other communities have declared local states of emergency and officials have scrambled to arrange drinking water for their citizens.
According to the Saskatchewan Auditor, in addition to pipelines, there were also another 68,000 flowlines in the province in 2011. They're narrow lines which are used to transport oil and gas from the wellhead to a storage or other facility.
The number of flowlines is growing by up to 4,000 a year, the auditor said, suggesting the total in 2016 would be well over 70,000.
