Concern Over Oil Field Waste Heats Up - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

  While oil fields are fueling our economy, there is concern about what's ending up in our landfills.  It's oil field waste that has the attention of those inside and outside the oil industry.

The question in North Dakota is what to do about it?

The oil field waste in question is typically shipped to Colorado.  While most of it still is, some of it's turning up in local landfills.  Officials from the Health Department, Petroleum Council, and others, gathered to figure out why -- and map out a way forward.

"It's been an increasing issue since the Bakken really started heating up.  Initially, people didn't know where it should go, so they were just taking it with ordinary trash out to the municipal landfills," says Scott Radig, Director, Division of Waste Management, North Dakota Department of Health.

What makes the waste of concern is its radioactivity.  However,  the radioactivity in this oil field waste is naturally-occurring, like that in dirt and food.  In oil production, the radioactive material comes up naturally from the ground and accumulates in filters, pipes and frack water.

             

"It's just a new problem that we have to deal with and we're going to go through the science and find all the data and come up with a plan," says Kari Bjerke Cutting, Vice President of the North Dakota Petroleum Council.  Getting to a plan involves evaluating standards for the radioactive material to determine if they should be adjusted, and assessing potential alternative disposal methods and sites.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council is at the helm of the investigation going forward. They say town hall meetings and other public venues will be scheduled in the future.