All Eyes On Glendive And Pipeline Oil Spill

All eyes are on Eastern Montana as an oil spill has taken to national headlines. The Bridger Pipeline LLC running along the Yellowstone River experienced a broken pipeline that spilled oil into the river, just seven miles upstream from Glendive.

The 12-inch steel pipeline was placed in the area in the 1955. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported Monday night that the first estimates of the spill could possibly be higher than the original 50,000 gallons estimated on Saturday. It has been reported that the change of pipeline pressure was detected in the pipeline, which indicated a breach and the line was shut down as a response. To put that amount of oil into perspective, it would be close to four tanker trucks full of oil tipping into the river.

Spokesperson for Bridger Pipeline Bill Salvin explained that they have been able to locate the approximate area of the breach about 50 feet from the south shoreline. He explained that an inspection tool used to measure the pressure was able to find the area under the river. Salvin said that vacuum tanks and trucks were recovering oil. Bridger is coordinating with all the agencies involved to take care of clean up. Currently Salvin was unaware of any other issues along the pipeline.

The cold temperatures freezing over the river have actually slowed down the progress of finding the oil in the spill. People in Glendive reported strange smells coming from their drinking water, but initial tests taken on Saturday and Sunday revealed no evidence of oil.

Reports from the EPA on Monday night showed a presence of increased levels of hydrocarbons in the water. The intakes for the water treatment plant has since been closed and the water system will most likely be flushed before coming back online. Water is being trucked into the city as of Tuesday.

Gov. Steve Bullock visited the oil spill site on Monday to ensure that steps were being taken and he signed an executive order to declare a state of emergency. Currently the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the EPA, Bridger Pipeline, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are working on solutions and cleanup. Containment and cleanup are now a focus.

“We are very sorry for the concerns in the community and for the incident and we are doing everything we can to fix it and clean it up,” Salvin said.

The pipeline also operates the Poplar System, the Four Bears Pipeline System in North Dakota, the Parshal Gathering System and the Powder River System in Wyoming. The Poplar system, where the breach occurred moves crude from the Williston Basin to south of Baker. Receiving points are in Poplar, Fisher, Richey and Glendive.