The focus needs to be on response, not the debate over pipeline safety, as crews work to clean up an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River, Premier Brad Wall said Wednesday.

“We’ll get into the debate of how you move oil at a later date,” Wall told a media scrum.

The premier praised the work of local leaders affected by the spill, and said they all have his personal cellphone number, and can call to request any other resources.

Wall says Husky Energy has told the province it will cover the costs associated to the 250,000-litre spill. He pointed out that several small businesses, such as car washes, have also been impacted and should be compensated.

NDP Opposition Leader Trent Wotherspoon says people are being kept in the dark.

“We don’t know the actions to clean up the oil, how much is out there (and) what the actual impacts are going to be,” he said.

The pipeline, located north of Maidstone, began leaking oil on July 20, which eventually leeched into the North Saskatchewan River.

Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency estimates 70,000 people have been impacted by the spill.

Wall was planning to visit the affected area on Thursday. But local officials, saying they wanted to focus on their response efforts, asked the premier to wait until later.

Shelley Gordon, owner of the 6th Avenue Car Wash in Prince Albert, has not been able to run her business since Monday.

"It's been very unfortunate. Employees are without wages. We're without revenue to get through this tough time," she said.

On a normal summer day, cars would be lined up, she said.

"This is when car washes make their money. It makes up for the days in January and December when we're really quiet. It's an unfortunate time of the year to have a disaster like this happen."

The cleanup effort has run into some challenges.

The oil sheen has been dispersing as it moves downstream, which makes it more difficult to skim it off the surface, said Wes Kotyk with Saskatchewan's Ministry of Environment.

Nine booms have been placed on the river where they're believed to be most helpful, but their performance is in question.

"They're likely not going to be very effective in accumulating or collecting any of the material once the sheen gets that thin."

Some of the oil has sunk, but it's not clear how much. There is no plan yet to clean up the below-surface oil because not enough is known about how the heavy conventional crude reacts in water.

Samples have been sent for analysis and Husky has been helpful in providing its own chemical tests, said Lo Cheng, with the federal Environment and Climate Change Department.

"Really what we need to understand is how does that product behave in this environment? What is its fate? Does it degrade? Does it break down? Does it interact with sediment?"

Sam Ferris of Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency said North Battleford should have enough water in its reservoirs if it continues its conservation efforts and there is no major event, such as a major fire, to deplete the supply.

One other option being considered is to pre-treat the oil-tainted river water before it enters the plant.

In Prince Albert, the city manager said a temporary pipeline that was to be completed on Wednesday to bolster the city's water supply wouldn't be done until Friday.

The line -- essentially a giant hose -- is to run about 30 kilometres to the South Saskatchewan River, but Jim Toye said pumps to move the water were not ready.

With files from The Canadian Press