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BELFIELD – Crews at the Belle Fourche Pipeline spill near Belfield are doing tests to see if burning the spilled oil will be a viable cleanup option.

Contractors were working in coordination with the North Dakota Department of Health to isolate an area and attempt to burn some of the oil that has contaminated Ash Coulee Creek, a tributary of the Little Missouri River, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager.

“We will be on site for the burn and we’ll evaluate its effectiveness to see if it’s something we can use on larger sections of the creek,” Suess said.

The pipeline spill discovered by a landowner on Dec. 5 released an estimated 4,200 barrels, or 176,400 gallons, about 16 miles northwest of Belfield, contaminating a hillside and nearly 5½ miles of the creek.

Cleanup crews have been working since Dec. 5 and had recovered 1,256 barrels, or 52,752 gallons, as of Wednesday night, said Wendy Owen, spokeswoman for True Companies, which owns the pipeline.

Suess said he has seen open burning used to recover oil from stock ponds and smaller bodies of water as well as on land, particularly to prevent spilled oil from reaching water bodies.

“This will be very interesting to see how it works,” he said.