BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Development of a drilling site could impact thousands of boaters, campers and others using the popular Van Hook recreational site on Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota.
Slawson Exploration Co. was issued a permit Friday for the development, which includes an 11-well drilling pad about 800 feet from the public boat ramp and parking lot, The Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2nAltzM ) reported. A company spokesman said drilling could begin as soon as May.
Drilling on the mega well project is expected to take more than a year to complete, but hydraulic fracturing operations likely won’t start until sometime late in 2018, said Eric Sundberg, Slawson’s environmental and regulator manager.
The recreational site has one of the busiest boat ramps on Lake Sakakawea, and the company will operate under several permit conditions to lessen the impact to the public. The conditions include building a 32-foot sound barrier around the drill pad, and using a quieter electric drill rig instead of gas-powered drill.
Other conditions include utilizing a closed-loop mud system so drill fluids are removed off site rather than buried in adjacent mud pits. The company must also have additional containment measures in case of a spill and access to spill response equipment.
Each well will cost an estimated $7 million to $8 million.
Sundberg said the wells required state and federal permits. The company began applying for the permits in 2012. The North Dakota permits were issued in 2015, while the federal permit requiring an environmental assessment was reviewed last week.
Slawson currently has about 300 Bakken wells, with peak production of about 42,000 barrels a day.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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