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.