North Dakota Pipe: Drinking Water Pollution Risk?

There are concerns that the North Dakota Access Pipeline could cause pollution in drinking water. The pipeline was originally designed to run near the North Dakota capital of Bismarck, but was rerouted when people raised concerns that it could put the community's water supply in jeopardy. In 2014, a pipeline rupture spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation, contaminating Bear Den Bay in Lake Sakakawea, a quarter of a mile from where the town of Mandaree draws its drinking water. The EPA has determined that several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, allowing the oil and gas industry to use the aquifer for extraction and disposal of waste.

The 2014 pipeline rupture that spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation

In 2014, a pipeline rupture spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation, contaminating Bear Den Bay in Lake Sakakawea. This was just a quarter of a mile from where the town of Mandaree draws its drinking water. However, according to Bill Suess, the program manager for spill investigation at the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, his team checked the intake system and didn't find any elevated levels of contaminants. This was likely due to the amount of freshwater in the lake.

The risk to drinking water from fracking comes in two major ways. Firstly, water used in the hydraulic drilling process can leak into aquifers and other groundwater supplies. Secondly, the wastewater that fracking produces can contaminate supplies when waste leaks from landfills that accept oil remains, when waste spills from trucks or pipelines moving it, when equipment fails, or when it leaks from unlined disposal pits. Both flowback and produced water may contain heavy metals such as barium and lead, hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and incredibly high levels of salinity.

In North Dakota, wastewater is normally disposed of in storage pits or underground disposal wells, taken to treating plants that process the waste, or in some cases spread on roads as a de-icer. But sometimes, whether in transportation or equipment malfunction, the wastewater can spill into the environment, contaminating the land and water around and beneath it. According to the North Dakota government's spill database, more than 400 wastewater spills were reported in 2018.

The 1972 Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a single identifiable source, such as a pipe, into certain bodies of water without a permit. However, several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA has determined that these portions do not currently serve as a source of water and will not serve as one in the future, allowing the oil and gas industry to use the aquifer for extraction and disposal of waste.

The 2019 pipeline spills that deposited 21,000 gallons of wastewater into a Missouri River tributary

In 2019, two pipeline spills deposited 21,000 gallons of wastewater into a tributary of the Missouri River. This was not the first time that wastewater had been spilled in North Dakota. In 2014, a pipeline rupture spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation, contaminating Bear Den Bay in Lake Sakakawea. This was only a quarter of a mile from where the town of Mandaree draws its drinking water. However, no elevated levels of contaminants were found, likely due to the amount of freshwater in the lake.

In North Dakota, wastewater is usually disposed of in storage pits or underground disposal wells, taken to treatment plants that process the waste, or spread on roads as a de-icer. However, sometimes the wastewater can spill into the environment, contaminating the land and water around and beneath it. This can happen during transportation or due to equipment malfunction.

The risk to drinking water comes in two major ways. Firstly, water used in the hydraulic drilling process can leak into aquifers and other groundwater supplies. Secondly, the wastewater that fracking produces can contaminate supplies when waste leaks from landfills that accept oil remains, when waste spills from trucks or pipelines moving it, when equipment fails, or when it leaks from unlined disposal pits. Both flowback and produced water may contain heavy metals such as barium and lead, hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and incredibly high levels of salinity.

Several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA has determined that these portions do not currently serve as a source of water and will not in the future, allowing the oil and gas industry to use the aquifer for extraction and disposal of waste. The 1972 Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a single identifiable source, such as a pipe, into certain bodies of water without a permit.

The 1972 Clean Water Act, which makes it unlawful to discharge pollutants from a single identifiable source into certain bodies of water without a permit

The 1972 Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a single identifiable source, such as a pipe, into certain bodies of water without a permit. In North Dakota, wastewater is usually disposed of in storage pits or underground disposal wells, taken to treatment plants that process the waste, or spread on roads as a de-icer. However, sometimes the wastewater can spill into the environment, contaminating the land and water around and beneath it. For example, in 2014, a pipeline rupture spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation, contaminating Bear Den Bay in Lake Sakakawea, a quarter of a mile from where the town of Mandaree draws its drinking water.

In addition, fracking produced 19 billion gallons of wastewater in North Dakota in 2018 alone, which can contaminate supplies when it leaks from landfills that accept oil remains, from trucks or pipelines moving it, when equipment fails, or when it leaks from unlined disposal pits. This wastewater may contain heavy metals such as barium and lead, hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material, and high levels of salinity.

Several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA has determined that these portions do not currently serve as a source of water and will not in the future, allowing the oil and gas industry to use the aquifer for extraction and disposal of waste.

The Dakota Access Pipeline was originally designed to run much farther north, near the North Dakota capital of Bismarck. However, officials rerouted it when people there raised concerns that it could put that community's water supply in jeopardy.

The Safe Drinking Water Act, which several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from

The North Dakota Access Pipeline has been a source of concern for environmentalists and local communities, who fear that it could cause pollution in drinking water. In 2016, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Dave Archambault II, called the pipeline a "death sentence", citing the risk of water pollution. Indeed, there have been several instances of pipeline spills in North Dakota, including a 34,000-gallon wastewater spill north of New Town in June 2020 and two pipeline spills that deposited 21,000 gallons of wastewater into a Missouri River tributary in 2019.

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is a federal law that protects underground sources of drinking water. The Act includes Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulations, which are designed to protect drinking water aquifers and meet industry needs. To obtain an aquifer exemption, applicants must meet specific criteria set out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has determined that several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers do not currently serve as a source of water and will not do so in the future. As a result, these portions are exempt from the SDWA, allowing the oil and gas industry to use them for extraction and waste disposal.

The aquifer exemption process is intended to protect drinking water sources while accommodating industry needs. The EPA evaluates the boundaries of the proposed exemption to ensure that nearby drinking water sources remain protected. The agency requires a demonstration that fluids will not migrate outside of the exemption boundary before approving an exemption.

Despite these precautions, there are concerns that the North Dakota pipeline could still cause pollution in drinking water. In addition to pipeline spills, fracking produces billions of gallons of wastewater each year, which can contaminate water supplies through leaks from landfills, trucks, pipelines, and unlined disposal pits. This wastewater often contains heavy metals, hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material, and high levels of salinity.

The risk of fracking wastewater contaminating drinking water supplies

In North Dakota, wastewater is normally disposed of in storage pits or underground disposal wells, taken to treating plants that process the waste, or in some cases spread on roads as a de-icer. However, sometimes, whether in transportation or due to equipment malfunction, the wastewater can spill into the environment, contaminating the land and water around and beneath it. For example, a pipeline rupture in 2014 spilled a million gallons of wastewater on the Fort Berthold Reservation and contaminated Bear Den Bay in Lake Sakakawea, a quarter mile from where the town of Mandaree draws its drinking water.

In addition, several portions of North Dakota's sandstone aquifers are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA has determined that these portions do not currently serve as a source of water and will not serve as one in the future, allowing the oil and gas industry to use the aquifer for extraction and disposal of waste. This has raised concerns among local communities, with the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe calling the pipeline a 'death sentence' and the original route of the pipeline being changed due to concerns that it could put the water supply of the North Dakota capital of Bismarck in jeopardy.

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