UPDATE: Oil well blowout reported near Lake Sakakawea
An oil well that began to malfunction Wednesday evening sprayed a mist of oil into the air until mid-afternoon Thursday but did not threaten nearby Lake Sakakawea, a company official said.By: By Amy Dalrymple, Forum Communications, The Jamestown Sun
PARSHALL, N.D. – An oil well that began to malfunction Wednesday evening sprayed a mist of oil into the air until mid-afternoon Thursday but did not threaten nearby Lake Sakakawea, a company official said.
Kyle Waliezer, Rockies area superintendent for Slawson Exploration Co., said a crew was working on the well about nine miles west of Parshall between 6 and 7 p.m. Wednesday when an equipment malfunction occurred.
The malfunction, which is still under investigation, caused the workers to lose control of the well, Waliezer said.
A specialized team from Houston flew to North Dakota Wednesday night to get control of the well, but a brownish mist, occasionally surging higher than the top of the service rig, continued to spray into the air until about 3 p.m. Thursday.
Lake Sakakawea, less than one mile to the south of the well, was not in danger of being affected, said Kris Roberts, environmental geologist with the North Dakota Department of Health.
The well sprayed oil, gas and water containing brine, Roberts said. The mist drifted more than 2,000 feet to the southwest of the well before the wind shifted, he said. The mist is now spraying to the north and Roberts continues to evaluate how large of an area is affected.
Cleanup crews would not begin working until the well was contained, Roberts said.
No one was injured in the incident, Waliezer said.
Slawson hired a firm to monitor gas levels in the area to ensure the safety of nearby residents, Waliezer said.
Workers constructed dikes around the well site to contain the spill, Roberts said.
“They’ve done an excellent job of trying to make sure they’re safe and contained,” he said.
Prior to the incident, the well had been in production, but a workover rig, or service rig, was brought in to clean out sand and improve production, Waliezer said.
The state Department of Mineral Resources and other agencies also are on the scene investigating.
A safety officer from the Three Affiliated Tribes energy division also was monitoring the well, which lies within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
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