Last December, western North Dakota experienced the effects of an oil spill when a leak in the Belle Fourche Pipeline resulted in hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil that were spewed into a creek. At the time, officials believed the number to be approximately 176,000 gallons; however, according to state environmental experts, that number is actually closer to 530,000 gallons of oil: approximately three times larger than what was originally believed.
Belle Fourche Pipeline is located approximately 150 miles away from Standing Rock, and is owned by True Cos., a Wyoming-based company that encompasses several other pipelines, as well as oil and drilling businesses. Spokeswoman Wendy Owen explained that once the company was able to start investigating the origin of the leak, they were able to get a better sense of how much oil had actually been spilled. Owen added that they were committed to cleaning up the damage: "We continue to work on the recovery and the cleanup. We will be there until this is finished."
NBC reports that none of the oil has seeped into drinking water, according to Health Department environmental scientist Bill Seuss. He also adds that there have not been any livestock or wildlife deaths that have been confirmed to be related to the oil spill.
However, this leak is still hugely significant. As noted by EcoWatch, this is one of the largest spills in North Dakota's history, and could potentially be the biggest spill in the state to have contaminated a body of water.
Experts determined that the leak was caused by "slumping" in the surrounding hillside. The pipeline had reportedly been shut down on November 30 for maintenance – right before a big snowstorm took place. The piles of snow resulted in the pipeline bending in two places, which caused it to tear.
This is not the first time that North Dakota has dealt with the aftermath of an oil spill. In 2013, a leak in the Tesoro Corp. pipeline caused 840,000 gallons of crude oil to be spilled. To this day, three years and six months later, that spill has still not been fully cleaned.
The famous Standing Rock protests from 2016 originated because the Dakota Access pipeline was rerouted through indigenous territory — particularly through the Sioux tribe's main source of drinking water, Lake Oahe. Fears of an oil spill, and thus, contamination of the reservoir, fueled the protests. President Donald Trump's administration recently greenlit finalization of the project, despite its construction being blocked by President Barack Obama late last year.
Related: Protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline Have Been Cleared from the Main Camp
Check This Out:
