Pipelines remain a controversial topic with the high oil spill frequency, and in December, a pipeline proved it was no exception.

Investigators originally thought the Belle Fourche Pipeline, located in North Dakota, only suffered a small oil spill. However, they now realize that nearly 530,000 gallons of oil leaked from the pipeline. This amount is nearly three times the original prediction of only 176,000 gallons.

The pipeline likely ruptured because of its placement on a slumping hillside. While the pipes started leaking on Dec. 1 after officials conducted maintenance, the spill was not reported until four days later.

The spill happened approximately 150 miles from where the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe protested the North Dakota Access Pipeline. During their protests, which lasted months, they continuously expressed concern of water contamination. However, the government and company representatives ignored their protests and the government approved the DAPL.

Since the spill, True Cos., the operating company of the pipeline, has not received any fines. Company representatives stated that they committed to cleaning up the spill.

Company spokeswoman Wendy Owens said that the company has cleaned up almost 80 percent of the spill.

“There’s no timeline for completion,” she explained. “We will be there until it is done.”

Bill Seuss, an environmental scientist at the Health Department, said that the government does not issue fines until they see the effort a company puts into cleaning up an oil spill. He explained it as a “motivator” for companies to clean up their messes.

The oil spill impact

While the oil transcended into a subsidiary of the Little Missouri River, officials say it has not impacted drinking water sources. Seuss said the focus is on cleaning the water before animals drink from the waterway.

Currently, officials have not confirmed cases of wildlife or livestock death from the oil spill. Although one individual reported many of his cattle died, officials claim he would not allow the state veterinarian to conduct a necropsy. Additionally, cleanup crews discovered a dead beaver, but they did not determine its cause of death. About Li Cohen I’m just a small-town girl in a journalist’s world, waking up bright and early every morning to find the best news to read, the most interesting stories to report, and the best coffees to submerge in.