"ND Pipeline Leaks About 1 Million Gallons of Saltwater"

"MANDAREE, N.D. (AP) — Around 1 million gallons of saltwater has leaked from a North Dakota pipeline, some of it into a bay that leads to a lake that provides drinking water for an American Indian reservation, company and tribe officials said Wednesday.

Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall told The Associated Press that an underground pipeline near Mandaree leaked about 24,000 barrels, or just over 1 million gallons, of saltwater near Bear Den Bay, a tributary of Lake Sakakawea. The Missouri River reservoir provides water to communities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, occupied by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes in the heart of western North Dakota's booming oil patch.

Saltwater, an unwanted byproduct of oil and natural gas production that is between 10 and 30 times saltier than seawater, is considered an environmental hazard by the state. At least some damage to trees, bushes and grass was reported, but the extent of the damage was not immediately clear."

Josh Wood and James MacPherson report for the Associated Press July 10, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"Cleanup of North Dakota Pipeline Spill May Take Weeks" (Aljazeera America)

"Cleanup Area Extends Nearly 2 Miles After ND Spill" (AP)