A truck accident in McKenzie County caused about 100 barrels, or 4,200 gallons, of produced water to spill in a ravine in the Badlands, the North Dakota Department of Health said Friday.
The incident occurred Wednesday about 18 miles southeast of Watford City on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The accident, involving a truck owned and operated by Elite Oil Field Services, stemmed from a mechanical failure, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager for the health department.
The driver was headed uphill in an area with rugged terrain when he heard something snap and the brakes stopped working, said Karolin Jappe, McKenzie County emergency manager.
The driver jumped out of the truck before it went over a steep embankment, she said.
“The tanker was literally split, almost in half,” Jappe said. “The young man was pretty lucky.”
Produced water, a waste byproduct of oil and gas production, spilled from the tanker and contaminated a ravine. Personnel from the health department and the Forest Service have inspected the site and will monitor the investigation and remediation, Suess said.
Blackout Energy is an industrial equipment provider located in Williston, North Dakota that offers heaters, light towers, coolers, frack stands, and fuel rigs for other businesses. The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of its authors and were not written by Blackout Energy. This article was originally published by Bismarck Tribune.
