Thursday, March 19, 2015

NEARLY 12K GALLONS OF OILY BRINE WATER SPILL IN NORTH DAKOTA




MARCH 19, 2015

MAXBASS, N.D.

A company involved in a legal action with a Bottineau County landowner reported another spill Wednesday at the same saltwater disposal well with a history of spills.

North Dakota oil regulators say nearly 12,000 gallons of saltwater have spilled at a disposal well in the northern part of the state.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing,” Derrick Braaten, a Bismarck attorney representing Peterson, said of the latest spill.

Peterson, seeking to have his land fully restored, has filed an administrative action against Petro Harvester and other companies. He claims that continued leaks and spills have led to severe contamination of nearby farmland and attempts to clean it up have been inadequate. Hearings are scheduled to begin in June.  I guess this is what happens when you lease your land to a dirty business.

Alison Ritter with the Oil and Gas Division says Petro Harvester Operating Company, LLC, reported the incident Wednesday. The operator says 11,970 gallons of saltwater were released at the Peterson 2 saltwater disposal well in Bottineau County, about six miles north of Maxbass.

Saltwater is an unwanted byproduct of oil production and is considered an environmental hazard by the state. It is many times saltier than sea water and can easily kill vegetation exposed to it.

Ritter says the operator reported that a piping connection leak caused the spill. The water was contained and recovered on site, within the dikes of the well site but that some of it may have overflowed.

A state inspector has visited the location.