Pipeline Break Sews 41,000 Gallons of Oilfield Wastewater
(AP) — Nearly 41,000 gallons of oilfield wastewater has spilled from a broken pipeline in western North Dakota, impacting an unknown amount of land, state regulators said.
The North Dakota Department of Environmental quality said Kansas-based Tallgrass Energy reported the produced water spill on Monday. The break occured about 6 1/2 miles south of Watford City.
It was not immediately known what caused the leak to the 4-inch plastic composite pipeline. Agency officials were on scene July 21 to oversee the cleanup and investigate the spill, said Karl Rockman, director of the department’s division of water quality.
Rockman said the wastewater migrated at least a half-mile from the break in the pipeline and “varied in width along its path.” Some of the water spilled in a dry drainage ditch that connects to Spring Creek, a tributary to the Little Missouri River.
“There is no indication that drinking water sources were threatened,” Rockman said. “There are still questions about the full extent of (the spill).”
Rockman said cleanup will involve excavating contaminated soil.
Produced water is a mixture of saltwater and oil that can contain drilling chemicals. It’s a byproduct of oil and gas development. Brine is an unwanted byproduct of oil production and is considered an environmental hazard by the state. It is many times saltier than seawater and can easily kill vegetation exposed to it.
The wastewater is typically carried from a well by pipeline or truck to a disposal site, where it is injected back in the ground for permanent storage.
Related News
From Archive
- Inside Sempra’s 72-mile pipeline with 18 major trenchless crossings
- Trump vetoes bill to finish $1.3 billion Colorado water pipeline
- PHMSA warns of heat risks in aging plastic gas distribution pipelines following deadly Pennsylvania explosion
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- OSHA seeks $1.2 million fine after fatal trench collapse in Connecticut
- Worm-like robot burrows underground to cut power line installation costs
- First tunnel boring machines complete testing for Hudson Tunnel Project
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- Construction jobs stumble into 2026 after weak year
- NWPX grows water infrastructure portfolio with Colorado precast facility
Comments