A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) documents serious drinking water contamination caused by oil production in Montana. This is the latest report from the USGS in an ongoing investigation of groundwater contamination in and near the East Poplar oil field.
Researchers found that almost 18 square miles of the shallow aquifer in the study area is contaminated with brine (also known as “produced water”) that is co-produced with oil. Produced water can be many times saltier than seawater and may also contain hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and naturally occurring radioactive material.
These shallow aquifers are the only source of drinking water in the area. The contamination has impacted both private drinking water wells and public water supply wells for the city of Poplar. All told, the USGS estimates that anywhere from 15-37 billion gallons of groundwater is contaminated with brine, compromising the groundwater supplies of about 3,000 people. As a result, the city of Poplar, headquarters of the Fort Peck Tribal government, had to build a pipeline to bring in drinking water from the Missouri River.
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