BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota regulators have ordered an oilfield services company to pay a $1 million penalty for a saltwater spill last summer and other violations.
The Bismarck Tribune reports that the settlement was reached following the Aug. 25 blowout at a saltwater disposal well owned by Henry Hill Oil Services, which is based in nearby Williston.
A blowout is an uncontrolled release of substances such as saltwater, oil or natural gas at a well. This blowout spilled 250 barrels or 10,500 gallons (40,000 liters) of brine, which is heavily saturated saltwater that comes up alongside oil and gas at well sites.
Regulators said the company was required by state rules to immediately report the blowout but that it didn’t do so until Sept. 3. They said Henry Hill also failed to pressure test the equipment designed to prevent blowouts when it was installed earlier in August. Regulators said the company did not adequately clean up the spill.
The company declined to comment on the settlement.
Brine is typically injected underground for permanent storage at a saltwater disposal well, according to the report.
The Industrial Commission fined Henry Hill $1.3 million but agreed to suspend $290,000 of the penalty if the company fulfills various requirements, such as providing a report to regulators detailing the incident and cleanup efforts.
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