Watford City – Tank Explodes at Saltwater Disposal Site

 Watford City, ND (KEYZ)  No personnel sustained injuries and Watford City residents were not in any danger Thursday when a tank exploded at a saltwater disposal site owned by White Owl Energy Services. The explosion happened around 12:15 in a tank where saltwater used in hydraulic fracturing is processed. In the tanks, water, oil, and gas are separated from each other. It is not yet clear why the tank exploded.

Karolin Jappe, McKenzie County Emergency Manager, tells news radio the extent of the damage and the root cause may not be known for some time as company leaders and fire department officials opted to let the tanks burn, for contamination reasons, late into the afternoon.  Were foam and water to have been used to combat the blaze, the greater the risk of saltwater spreading further and sterilizing the surrounding land.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

 Submitted photo.