Family reunion goes ahead, despite water woes in Saskatchewan

A Saskatchewan family is proceeding with plans for a reunion this weekend, undaunted by the interruption to their water supply.

Carman Bibby is hosting the reunion at his home near Prince Albert.

Bibby was among many in the rural area around Prince Albert left dry when the water distribution system was closed almost a week ago.

Deliveries of water to the system were halted after Prince Albert closed the intake line to its water treatment plant. The city uses water from the North Saskatchewan River and supplies water to the rural utility. Prince Albert has been scrambling to arrange alternate sources of water due to an oil spill from a Husky Energy pipeline.

Bibby is expecting 40 guests at the reunion. On Friday, they learned the water utility will be able to send water, for limited use to customers.

Meanwhile, the family has filled their holding tank with as much water as they can. They have also been collecting rain water and improvising other amenities.

"My sons are building an outdoor shower stall," Bibby said. "The campers that come are coming equipped with water and should have sufficient water for three days."

He added that cooking for the celebration will be a challenge but they have done a lot of planning ahead and should be ready.

They've also been conserving water and have put off things like doing the laundry.

"We really seriously considered putting it off but then realized, you really can't," Bibby said about the reunion plan. "People ... have set their holidays around coming to the reunion here."