Belle Fourche Pipeline Co. estimates that 130,200 gallons of oil spilled into a tributary of the Little Missouri River last week and another 46,200 gallons leaked into a hillside, the North Dakota Department of Health said Monday, Dec. 12.
The spill discovered by a landowner on Dec. 5 has contaminated 5.4 miles of Ash Coulee Creek, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager.
The total spill estimate of 4,200 barrels, or 176,400 gallons, is a “rough estimate” provided by the company, Suess said.
Cleanup crews had recovered 878 barrels, or 36,876 gallons, of oil as of Sunday night.
An environmental contractor planned to bring an additional 60 workers Monday to assist cleanup, with winter weather affecting those efforts, Suess said.
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