July 2021 pipeline break leaked 714,000 gallons, not 36,000
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A wastewater spill from a pipeline break last year in the northwestern North Dakota oil patch was 20 times greater than first reported, the state Department of Environmental Quality said Wednesday.
Tallgrass Energy first estimated that nearly 36,000 gallons of produced water was released during the spill. The company now says the volume was actually closer to 714,000 gallons.
Produced water is a mixture of saltwater and oil that can contain drilling chemicals. It’s a byproduct of oil and gas development.