BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Officials say high winds caused a power outage that led to a produced water and oil spill in Dunn County.
The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality was notified Monday of the spill at a salt water disposal facility operated by Hunt Oil Co. The spill happened Sunday about 8 miles northwest of Halliday.
Officials said the equipment failure caused by the power outage led to multiple tanks overflowing. Initial estimates indicated about 27,720 gallons of produced water and 15,540 gallons of crude oil overflowed the tanks.
Most of the spill was contained on site, but winds blew some of the material onto pastureland.
Produced water is a byproduct of oil and gas development. It is a mixture of saltwater and oil that can contain drilling chemicals.
State inspectors are checking the site and will continue to monitor the investigation and remediation.
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