Fort Berthold Reservation deals with oil spills

MANDAREE, N.D. (AP) — Three Affiliated Tribes officials are awaiting test results to determine whether oil from a recent spill on the Fort Berthold Reservation made it into Lake Sakakawea.

Tribal emergency services director Cliff Whitman tells the Minot Daily News that the July 27 spill near Mandaree totaled about six barrels, or about 250 gallons. He said a water sample that might contain oil has been sent to the State Laboratory in Bismarck for testing.

The reservation is in the heart of the Bakken, a rich oil formation where energy production is booming. Whitman said there are as many as two spills a week on the reservation. He says another recent spill near Mandaree involved at least 12,000 gallons of saltwater that damaged grassland and private land.

Tags: fort berthold, news, crime, oil, spill