Putting oilfield brine on roads could help clear the air

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

A truck travels down a McKenzie County rural road in July 2012. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WATFORD CITY, N.D. – What is now considered oilfield waste could be reused as an affordable way to control dust on western North Dakota roads, officials said Wednesday.

The North Dakota Department of Health is studying whether oilfield brine, or the saltwater that is a byproduct of producing oil wells, can safely be used to control dust on gravel roads.

If dust isn’t the No. 1 quality of life complaint for western North Dakota residents, it ranks in the top 10, said Vicky Steiner, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties, who coordinated a dust control meeting Wednesday.

Dust from heavy truck traffic on gravel roads in North Dakota’s Oil Patch is affecting the health of humans, animals and crops. The haze from truck traffic is sometimes so thick it creates traffic hazards.

“You seriously have to stop,” said Dunn County Commissioner Donna Scott. “You can’t even see because the dust is so thick.”

Counties are spending millions each year on dust control, many using commercial products with magnesium chloride or calcium chloride.

Dave Glatt, chief of the Environmental Health Section of the North Dakota Department of Health, said the produced water or oilfield brine from some North Dakota oil wells has similar properties to the commercial products.

The Health Department is working to identify wells in each county that may have brine that is suitable for dust control.

“To me, it makes some sense that you’re taking a waste and you’re putting it to a beneficial use,” Glatt said.

The use of oilfield brine was questioned several years ago by an out-of-state law firm, Glatt said.

“People were asking, ‘Are they really doing dust control or are they just doing it to dispose of it?” Glatt said.

The practice was discontinued because the state didn’t have data about the environmental impact of the brine or the beneficial use, Glatt said. The Health Department has since conducted soil and water samples and found no environmental impact, he said.

“Certain oilfield brines can be an option for dust control,” Glatt said. “And we have the documentation to show that.”

Francis Schwindt, who formerly held Glatt’s job and is the principal investigator for a dust control study, tested various commercial products that cost between $6,000 per mile to $23,000 per mile. Applying oilfield brine cost about $700 per mile.

The oilfield brine Schwindt tested was not very effective, but brine with a higher calcium content applied multiple times could produce similar results to the commercial products, Schwindt said.

The North Dakota Legislature approved $3 million for a pilot program to study dust control in Bowman, Dunn and Mountrail counties. An additional $3 million could be available for further study this biennium.

Schwindt also is studying whether drill cuttings, another oilfield waste product, can be used as aggregate for roads.

McKenzie County roads remain open, but officials will revisit the issue

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

WATFORD CITY, N.D. – McKenzie County didn’t end up closing any roads over the weekend even though it rained in some parts of the county.

Jerry Samuelson, emergency manager, said some portions of the large county received little to no rain while it poured in some parts of the county.

“It was sporadic all over the county,” Samuelson said.

To prevent further damage to the roads, county commissioners had planned to close gravel roads to vehicles heavier than 20,000 pounds if it rained. But by the time county officials assessed all of the weather reports, vehicles were already out driving, Samuelson said.

County officials will revisit the issue and could close roads to heavy trucks in the future if the area receives an abnormal amount of rain, Samuelson said.

UPDATED: Rain could stop truck traffic in McKenzie County; roads open as of 8 a.m.

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

WATFORD CITY, N.D. – Rain could seriously hinder oil production and transportation in the state’s busiest oil county this weekend.

The McKenzie County Commission is prepared to prohibit trucks and other vehicles heavier than 20,000 pounds from traveling on gravel roads if significant rain falls today, said Chairman Ron Anderson.

“I’m sure there will be people up in arms, but we just can’t take it anymore,” Anderson said.

As of 8 a.m. today, roads remain open and officials are monitoring the weather. In Watford City, it was overcast but not raining shortly after 8.

Record-setting May rainfall exacerbated damage to the county’s gravel roads, estimated to cost $50 million, Anderson said.

The damage is not only expensive, but makes travel difficult for emergency responders, said Jerry Samuelson, McKenzie County emergency manager. One rut measured 17 inches deep, and that was after the road had been bladed, he said.

Some oil companies pulled trucks off the roads during the extremely wet weather, but gravel trucks and water haulers continued driving on the soft roads, Anderson said.

“They were pulling trucks down our roads,” he said.

McKenzie County has 74 active drilling rigs representing 40 percent of the state’s oil drilling activity.

A weight restriction of 20,000 pounds would essentially affect vehicles heavier than a pickup truck.

“At that level of road restrictions, then we can’t even move oil,” said Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources. “No oil, no water movements, anything like that.”

In McKenzie County, 70 percent of oil is transported by truck, according to the most recent figures.

“That would have a really serious short-term impact,” Helms said.

The other significant impact would be on hydraulic fracturing, which requires heavy equipment and trucks that haul water and sand.

The short-term impact on drilling rigs that are up and running would be less severe, Helms said.

One-fourth to one-half an inch of rain was possible late Friday and early today for McKenzie County, said Patrick Ayd, forecaster with the National Weather Service. As much as an inch of rain was possible in some localized areas, Ayd said.

May was a wet month for McKenzie County. Grassy Butte, in the southeast portion of the county, set a new record for May rainfall with 6.69 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said.

Sunny weather during the middle of last week helped to dry out the roads.

McKenzie County officials will monitor the weather and make a determination based on how much rain falls, Samuelson said.

“This is truly unprecedented,” he said.

The county should have taken this type of measure during the wet spring of 2011, Anderson said.

“It took us a year to dig back out of that one,” he said.

Overall, the wet weather is causing spring road restrictions to continue longer than usual, which is slowing down oil production in North Dakota. Typically the spring load restrictions for state highways are lifted around Mother’s Day, but they continue to be in place for Williams, Divide, Burke and northern McKenzie counties, Helms said.

That is preventing some drilling rigs from operating in North Dakota and contributes to a backlog of wells that are waiting for hydraulic fracturing crews, Helms said.

“We may not see our summer production surge until very late in the summer,” Helms said.

Williston lifts mandatory water restrictions

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

WILLISTON, N.D. – Mandatory water restrictions for Williams and McKenzie counties have been lifted, officials announced today.

The water quality of the Missouri River in Williston has improved, which has allowed the Williston Regional Water Treatment Plant to increase its capacity.

However, there is more rain in the forecast and construction on the water treatment plant continues, which may at times restrict the plant’s capacity to produce water.

Residents are asked to continue voluntary conservation measures, such as:

- Avoid washing sidewalks, driveways and buildings.

- Take short showers.

- Only wash full loads of dishes or laundry.

- Avoid filling backyard pools.

- Watering of lawns and gardens are suggested on an alternating schedule. Residents with street address numbers ending in an even digit may water on even digit calendar days. Residents with street address numbers ending in an odd digit may water on odd digit calendar days.

Watford City to house new judge

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

BISMARCK — Watford City will be home to a new judgeship aimed at addressing the increase in court filings in growing Oil Patch communities, the North Dakota Supreme Court decided Tuesday.

State legislators created two new judgeships for the Northwest Judicial District, with one chambered in Williston and the other location to be determined.

Watford City, Williston and Stanley were discussed as possible locations for the judgeship, the ruling said. A report filed by the Northwest Judicial District said the presiding judges said Williston was their first choice for the judgeship, but the courthouse does not have adequate space. The second choice was Watford City, which was supported by the McKenzie County Commission and the Watford City mayor.

Court filings increased 37 percent in the district between 2010 and 2012, with McKenzie County seeing the largest percentage increase with 135 percent, according to numbers in the ruling.

The Legislature also created a new judgeship for the East Central Judicial District in Fargo. A committee will interview applicants and nominee candidates by the end of June. The governor has until July 31 to name the judges.

Water restrictions issued for Williston area

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

Williston Mayor Ward Koeser, left, and Williston Public Works Director Monte Meiers ask the public to limit water use during a news conference on Tuesday. The dark bottle of water Meiers is holding is the water being treated in Williston currently. The middle bottle is what the untreated water usually looks like. The bottle on the right is treated water. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WILLISTON, N.D. – Officials here declared a water emergency Tuesday and asked residents of Williams and McKenzie counties to limit water use to essential needs only.

The Williston Regional Water Treatment Plant is operating at a reduced capacity due to the spring rise in the Yellowstone River and heavy rainfall that has increased sediment levels in the Missouri River to historic levels, Mayor Ward Koeser said.

The area’s population growth and industrial demand for water also stress the plant, officials said.

The water being produced by the plant continues to meet all water quality standards and is safe for human consumption. However, if water demand is not reduced and water storage levels continue to decline, the result could be a region-wide boil order, officials said.

“We’re slowly losing ground,” said Monte Meiers, Williston director of public works.

All businesses and residents in Williston, Watford City, Williams Rural Water District and McKenzie County Water Resource District are asked to shut off lawn sprinklers, refrain from washing vehicles and implement other water conservation measures.

Violating the water emergency procedures is a Class B misdemeanor.

Water depots operated by the Western Area Water Supply Authority that provide water to the oil industry will not operate during the emergency. Privately owned water depots are not under the restriction.

The Williston Regional Water Treatment Plant is undergoing an expansion to meet the needs of the growing population. An initial phase of the expansion is expected to be complete by the end of this year or 2014, Meiers said.

The water restrictions could continue for one to two weeks, Koeser said. For more information and updates, visit www.cityofwilliston.com.

Caution urged during North Dakota’s largest road construction season ever

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

WATFORD CITY, N.D. — I seriously considered phoning this assignment in.

I feared that driving from Williston to Watford City in heavy rain Thursday on a deadly stretch of Oil Patch highway to a press conference on road safety might make me another statistic.

But with 48 traffic fatalities so far this year — 12 of those in McKenzie County — there is no topic that deserves more news coverage in western North Dakota than highway safety.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation unveiled Thursday its $878 million construction program for 2013, the largest in the state’s history.

For those of us who drive these Oil Patch roads daily, the projects are both welcome and a little scary.

Expanding U.S. Highway 85 to a four-lane highway between Williston and Watford City will make a huge difference in daily lives of residents, some who now avoid that 45-mile stretch of road completely.

But it’s hard to imagine how construction crews will widen the road as 12,000 vehicles, mostly heavy trucks and diesel pickups, travel by daily.

“It’s going to be even more dangerous,” said Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford.

That’s why Grant Levi, the newly appointed director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation, and other officials came to Watford City to emphasize safety.

Officials urged motorists to buckle up, reduce speeds, allow extra time and minimize distractions.

“People need to slow down and people need to be patient,” Levi said.

Last year, the state had 257 crashes in work zones resulting in two fatalities.

Sgt. Tom Iverson with the North Dakota Highway Patrol said during 700 hours of patrolling work zones in 2012, the most common violations were for speeding and following too closely.

The Highway Patrol will soon have three new troopers assigned to McKenzie County, which Sanford said will significantly improve driver behavior and safety.

New Town Mayor Dan Uran, who attended the news conference, said his area has lost four residents in the past two weeks to traffic fatalities.

Uran said he thinks many crashes are caused by drivers who should use more caution.

“I don’t think they’re respecting the fact that there’s all this traffic out there,” Uran said.

The Bismarck officials flew to Watford City on Thursday because they also held an event in Fargo. But Levi and others also spent time driving the northwestern North Dakota roads recently, which sent a strong signal to local officials.

“It’s demonstrating their focus on this area,” Sanford said.

Motorists can stay updated on construction projects several ways:

- Access the travel information map at www.dot.nd.gov

- Call 511

- Subscribe to work zone email notifications at www.dot.nd.gov/govdelivery/landing.htm

- Download the ND Roads smartphone app

Major 2013 N.D. road construction projects include:

- I-29 work near Grafton, Grand Forks, Fargo and Hankinson

- U.S. 2 west of Williston

- N.D. 23 Parshall to US 83

- U.S. 2 work to Rugby, Devils Lake and Grand Forks

- N.D. 22 north to Killdeer

- N.D. 8 south to Bowbells

- U.S. 85 near Belfield

- U.S. 85 four lane project between Watford City and Williston

- U.S. 52 work near Harvey and Pingree

Rookie cops in Oil Patch get ‘thrown into the mix’

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

Watford City Police Chief Jesse Wellen, left, and Sgt. Shannon Monnens, both Minnesota natives, respond to a call in an RV park in Watford City, N.D., on Thursday, May 23, 2013. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WILLISTON, N.D. – Cops in the Oil Patch say one year of experience there is what they’d see in five years elsewhere.

As North Dakota’s oil boom brings a spike in police calls to growing communities, many of the officers on the front lines are rookies in their early to mid-20s.

“They’ve been thrown in the fire with gas on top of them,” said Williston police Detective Cory Collings.

A majority of the new hires come from Minnesota, where tight budgets make law enforcement jobs harder to get.

The level of activity enticed Stacey Eissinger, 25, of Lakeville, Minn., to apply with the Williston Police Department. She’s been training in a squad car with eight bullet holes and will begin working on her own later this week.

“It is so busy here and so many intense things happen,” said Eissinger, a graduate of the Alexandria, Minn., law enforcement program. “I probably couldn’t get this experience somewhere else.”

In the neighboring community of Watford City, the police department’s oldest members are 28.

Sgt. Shannon Monnens, 28, a former Duluth, Minn., dispatcher, worked as a police officer in quiet Babbitt, Minn., for six months before she moved to Watford City.

Now loaded weapons, drug busts and vehicle pursuits are routine.

“As a rookie, usually you want all the action,” Monnens said.

Levi Cabler, 25, of Carrington, was among the officers who responded to a standoff in Williston in April that involved a suspect who fired at police multiple times. No officers were hurt, but authorities returned fire and worked to clear the neighborhood before the suspect was wounded and surrendered.

Cabler, a graduate of Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, began working his first law enforcement job with the Williams County Sheriff’s Office five years ago and now is a detective.

“You kind of get thrown into the mix,” Cabler said.

Senior patrolman Travis Martinson of the Williston Police Department trains new officer Stacey Eissinger on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, in Williston, N.D. Both officers are from Minnesota and moved to Williston for their first law enforcement jobs. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

Travis Martinson, 24, of St. Cloud, Minn., is a senior patrolman with the Williston police. He’s worked for the department since 2010, which he jokes makes him practically a veteran.

One obstacle Martinson said he has to overcome is getting respect. He said he’s had people ask him if it was bring your kid to work day.

Martinson, who received his training in Brainerd, Minn., often compares notes with a friend who works for a rural Minnesota police department.

“What they do in a month is what our police department does in a night,” said Martinson, who has had guns pulled on him. “They don’t see what we see out here.”

Carol Archbold, a North Dakota State University criminal justice associate professor, said Oil Patch law enforcement agencies have younger departments than she has typically seen across the country. Archbold, who has studied police departments since 1996, is researching the impact of North Dakota’s oil boom on law enforcement.

One reason the departments struggle to attract experienced officers is that the lack of housing makes it difficult to recruit officers with families, Archbold said.

While the increase in police calls is a big responsibility for the young officers, particularly those who have advanced to leadership positions, there are also benefits of having young departments, Archbold said.

“It’s probably good that they’re young so they can keep up with all of the calls,” Archbold said.

Mountrail County Sheriff Ken Halvorson said most of his new hires are 21 or slightly older with no experience. He said he sees no advantage to hiring young officers, who have a turnover rate of about 50 percent in his county.

“They’re quitting,” Halvorson said. “They find out it’s not like it is on television.”

Halvorson said he struggles to recruit and retain deputies because his county has not increased salaries or provided housing like agencies in some neighboring counties have.

“We’re begging people to come to work,” Halvorson said.

Watford City now boasts one of the highest police salaries in the state, said Chief Jesse Wellen. Starting pay is nearly $50,000, and the city is building apartments that will be available to law enforcement.

In Williston, where 62 percent of the police force is from Minnesota, retaining the new hires hasn’t been a problem so far, said Assistant Police Chief Tom Ladwig. But he expects that will change as people gain experience and want to move closer to their families.

“We know when things open up we’re going to lose some people,” Ladwig said.

But many Minnesota officers said the pay in western North Dakota and the opportunities for advancement may keep them from leaving.

Wellen, 28, from International Falls, Minn., who was promoted to chief this year after less than two years as a cop, has purchased a house in Watford City and expects to be there awhile.

“This early in my career, I’m already the chief of police,” Wellen said. “It’d be hard to start over again.”

Faces of the Boom: Couple working to build housing so other families can reunite

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

Jake and Katie Walters and their children, Drew and Julia, pictured Thursday in Watford City, N.D., recently moved to North Dakota from southern California. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

WATFORD CITY, N.D. – Jake Walters spent about half of 2012 commuting from southern California to Watford City, sleeping on the floor of an RV and video chatting with his young family back home.

Being separated from his family for weeks at a time was tough, so he jumped at the chance to move his family to North Dakota and work in Watford City full time.

His wife, Katie, visited Watford City in October and by Thanksgiving they were moving into a single-wide trailer with kids Julia, 7, and Drew, 4.

“This is such a great community and is really focused on families,” Katie said.
Jake and Katie, who work in residential construction, were laid off from their jobs in 2009.

They lived in La Quinta, Calif., in Riverside County, one of the hardest-hit foreclosure spots in the country.

They now work as independent contractors for Bakken Housing Partners to manage two major developments in Watford City – Fox Hills Village and Wolf Run Village.

The timing of the job opportunity worked out perfectly for the family. They were in over their heads with their mortgage in California and considering moving in with family in Florida.

The difference between their former home and the booming economy of Watford City is dramatic, Katie said.

“Visiting this place, it’s a completely different universe from the rest of the country,” Katie said.

But the housing shortage in North Dakota requires many families to be separated. While flying back and forth to California, Jake met a lot of other dads who were away from their families, including one who spent his first Christmas at home in five years.

That gives the couple personal motivation to work hard at getting the housing projects completed.

They’re particularly excited about the Wolf Run Village project, which will provide affordable housing for teachers, law enforcement, city employees and other public service employees. The project includes Wolf Pup Day Care, which will add an additional 150 child care spots for Watford City, addressing a day care shortage that the family knows about firsthand.

Drew is only able to attend preschool for a half day, twice a week, and has to be in a class with kids who are a year younger. The family is eager for him to get into child care and have more opportunities for socialization.

For daughter Julia, she has about 17 kids in her class in Watford City, compared to about 30 in California.

“She’s getting a much better education here,” Katie said.

The family lives in a trailer their employer provides, which is also their office. The kids now share a bedroom and once a month they have two colleagues who stay with them.

But they’re happy to make the best of it, and they’re enjoying experiencing a new climate.

“I like it because we get to go sledding and make snowmen,” Julia said.

In just a few months, the family knows more people in Watford City than they did in La Quinta after living there for eight years.

“Everybody in this town is super friendly, willing to help,” Katie said.

Shortage of child care a concern in western North Dakota

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Amy Dalrymple

WATFORD CITY, N.D. — Nikki Darrington has her dream job, working as a soil conservationist for the National Resources Conservation Service in Watford City.

But the mother of two had to postpone her start date by two months while she waited for child care to become available, after being on the waiting list for 1½ years.

The agency has another job opening and the perfect candidate, but that woman is also waiting for child care, Darrington said.

“She could walk in the door and start working,” she said.

Katie Barber quit working as a public defender in Williston after she had her second child and couldn’t find infant care. The Watford City woman said she’d like to work at least part time, but she can’t find child care for her kids, now 4 and 7 months.

Barber said she’s frustrated that legislators in Bismarck are not doing more to address the shortage of child care, particularly critical in rapid-growth areas of western North Dakota, where the oil boom is also creating a workforce shortage.

“They’re saying it’s not our problem,” Barber said. “But in this part of the state it is, it’s really all our problem.”

Gov. Jack Dalrymple recommended $5 million in child care facility grants, which is included in the Department of Commerce budget.

But Rep. Kathy Hawken, R-Fargo, said that while assistance for buildings is needed, the child care centers are struggling to retain qualified staff, especially those that are competing with higher wages in the Oil Patch.

“Do we want families to come to these areas?” Hawken said. “If we want families, then you need to have the quality child care.”

Hawken was the prime sponsor of House Bill 1422, which originally sought to provide $15 million to support child care services and establish a quality rating and improvement system to improve the quality of the programs.

The bill passed 85-7, but with several amendments from the House Human Services

Committee that eliminated most of the funding. The bill now provides $2.1 million for child care stabilization initiatives, including recruitment and retention efforts and assistance to develop business plans.

Committee chairman Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, said child care operations have a variety of models, including some that are for-profit and some that are nonprofit and do not pay property taxes. Committee members were concerned that subsidizing the operations could create an unfair playing field, Porter said.

The committee also amended the bill to change some of the ratios of children to staff members. For example, the bill says one staff member can care for up to five children under 18 months of age, and one staff member may care for an unlimited number of children between ages 6 and 12.

The goal of the amendment is to find a balance between a business model that works and a ratio that is safe for children, Porter said.

“It’s very possible that we can be able to get more flexibility and still have safe, well-run day care systems across the state,” Porter said.

The bill also says employers that offer on-site child care that is not open to the public can be exempt from licensing requirements.

Sen. Joan Heckaman, D-New Rockford, said she has many concerns about the amendments to the bill, particularly the ratios of children to staff.

“That part of this bill has to come out of there,” said Heckaman, a former teacher. “That’s really destructive to the growth of the children, the morale of the staff.”

Heckaman plans to testify before the Senate Human Services Committee at 9 a.m. Monday, when it holds a hearing on the bill. She said a waiting list for child care of up to two years is not uncommon, and it’s not just an issue in western North Dakota. Her town of New Rockford has a waiting list for child care.

She also plans to suggest that grant funding be added back into the bill that could offset some of the overhead costs for child care centers.

“It’s economic development,” Heckaman said. “If we don’t have child care, we’re not going to have people in the workforce.”