Photo: The Canadian Press

Cleanup of an oil spill along the North Saskatchewan River will be put on hold as water levels are expected to rise by up to two metres in the coming days, a provincial government spokesman said Thursday.

Increased flows caused by unusually heavy rainfall west of Edmonton are making their way east. Peak levels at the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary are expected late Friday or early Saturday.

"Some cleanup activities will be temporarily discontinued. Some of the shoreline infrastructure — things like some docks, launches and vehicle pads and booms — are going to have to be removed from the area so that they don't get damaged with the high water," said Wes Kotyk with Saskatchewan's Environment Ministry.

"As soon as things start to stabilize and recede, the plan is to get right back to things as quickly as possible."

Kotyk said provincial authorities and Husky Energy, the company responsible for the spill, still expect to be able to finish shore cleanup before water starts to freeze in October.

Almost 75 per cent of the estimated 225,000 litres of petroleum that spilled has been recovered, he said.

The government says there have been 144 confirmed wildlife deaths, including 51 aquatic species, since Husky's pipeline leaked last month near Maidstone, Sask.

Also Thursday, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency said one sample out of 120 taken from the river did not meet drinking water guidelines and hydrocarbons were found in the sediment at the bottom of the river at five monitoring sites.

The cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort have had to shut off their water plant intakes and find alternatives because of the spill. For now, all three are well supplied, said Ferris.