State and company officials say contamination levels have dropped along waterways affected by a massive saltwater spill in western North Dakota’s oil patch. A pipeline leak detected last month spilled nearly 3 million gallons of saltwater brine near Williston. The wastewater is a byproduct of intensive oil drilling taking place in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana. North ...

Shane Thielges | Shale Plays Media Duke Energy has announced its creation of $10 million in grants to protect waterways in five Southern states. The grants are intended to improve water quality assurance, wildlife habitat protection and expanded public access to waterways in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia, The Charlotte Business Journal reports. They will be distributed ...

Zach Koppang | Shale Plays Media It appears the recent crude oil tank rupture that released 7,500 gallons into the Poudre River, located near Windsor, didn’t displace enough water to be a factor in the river’s recent flooding. Although the ruptured tank was placed 400 feet from the river, high water levels breached a dirt dike and upset the storage ...

Zach Koppang | Shale Plays Media The Denver Post reports that 849,610 pounds of toxic waste was released into Colorado waterways in 2012. Federal data has shown that the most prevalent chemical found in the water systems are nitrates, which cause algae growth, creating what are called ‘dead zones’ in rivers and streams. Related: Boulder County considers recognizing ‘rights of ...

ITASCA TOWNSHIP, Minn. — The boggy ground jiggled underfoot as Paul Stolen walked along La Salle Creek, a tiny wetland stream whose banks are staked with orange plastic posts that say, “Warning, Petroleum Pipeline.” “There’s water flowing beneath the ground,” said the retired Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologist. And crude oil too. This remote wetland near Itasca State Park, ...