Monday, July 7, 2014

North Dakota oil spill cleanup to last at least two more years


BISMARCK, N.D. _ An oil pipeline spill that happened near Tioga last fall could take about two years to clean up while remediation at the site of a train derailment near Casselton could be done this summer, state lawmakers were told Tuesday.

Members of the interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee heard updates on both incidents and had questions about the lessons learned from them.

David Glatt, head of the environmental section of the North Dakota Health Department, said work has continued at the Tioga site where a pipeline owned by Tesoro Corp. began leaking crude oil on a wheat farm on Sept. 29. Approximately 20,600 barrels spilled, one of the largest spills in state history.

“The contamination has gone down at least 30 feet,” Glatt said.

The water table is approximately 150 feet beneath the ground, he said.

So far Tesoro has recovered approximately 6,000 barrels of oil. The spill has been contained by French drains, a security fence and cut-off walls to ensure that the oil doesn’t migrate beyond its current boundaries.
Glatt said Tesoro has submitted a plan in which it proposes to excavate the soil, treat, replace and rejuvenate it.  MORE

No comments:

Post a Comment