Fracking blowout results in wastewater and oil leak

A Whiting Petroleum Corp oil well suffered a blowout on Thursday, February 13th, resulting in the spilling of oil and wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (fracking) activities. The well in North Dakota lost control after the blowout, caused when a blowout preventer failed to function, resulting in between 50 and 70 barrels of fracking water leaking each day, according to state officials.

Fracking wastewater contains a number of different chemicals - including heavy metal - and sand, which can be highly damaging to the environment. It is pumped into wells under immense pressure in order to fracture rock, releasing natural shale gas and oil. Typically, blowouts are caused when a sudden swell of high pressure travels up the well, resulting in the equipment losing control. 

As well as the fracking liquid leaking, around 8,400 gallons of oil a day are also leaking from the well, according to Reuters. On Friday, the leaking fluids were being collected and transported from the site. 

According to Whiting, none of the leaking fluids have entered Cherry Creek, which is close to the site of the incident. Only a slight pray of oil and water could have affected the creek but as it is currently frozen, this will be easy to deal with.

The blowout was considered a large one, in terms of the risks to human health and possible injury, Lynn Helms, head of North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources said on a conference call to Reuters. He continued to say that a serious investigation will be underway once the leak has fully been contained.

It is not yet known what the environmental effect of the leaking fracking wastewater might be, as the exact chemical makeup of the water is unknown. It is largely the wastewater that is created by fracking that has made it such a controversial drilling method, especially as oil companies are able to disclose only minimal information on the chemicals the water contains to the public.