When “produced water,” the chemical-laden flowback from oil and gas deposits—frequently several times saltier than the ocean—is spilled, the soil is often destroyed. Clean up costs are extreme, and reclamation is ineffective. Drinking water contaminated by this salty, chemical-laced water cannot currently be made safe to drink. The web of gathering and transmission pipelines across a field are often contributors to spills of produced water, oil, and condensates, all of which can wreak havoc on land and water.
Below are stories about people impacted by oil and gas spills and leaks.
More than a Decade later, Pavillion Residents Continue to Face Complications due to Contaminated Water - Jeff and Rhonda Locker look out across a cut alfalfa field. Newly cut rows of alfalfa stretch into the distance. Clean mountain air blows down… 
Working to Prove Accountability: A Hydrogeologist’s Perspective on the Pavillion Water Crisis - Mike Wireman, a hydrogeologist, has spent the last five years trying to understand what is causing the Pavillion water crisis in relation to oil and gas development. 
Pavillion Community Still Waiting on a Solution for Clean Drinking Water - Residents impacted by leaking wells look to Encana and the state of Wyoming for a solution. Evelyn stood on her deck overlooking a patchwork of… Continue reading → Pavillion Community Still Waiting on a Solution for Clean Drinking Water
Lax Permitting, Poor Construction Lead to Groundwater Contamination - Thirty years after faulty gas wells and unlined holding ponds began contaminating groundwater, residents of Pavillion, Wyoming, still can’t drink the water. Sue Spencer, a… Continue reading → Lax Permitting, Poor Construction Lead to Groundwater Contamination
North Dakota farmers fear more than just oil spills - Daryl and Christine Peterson have lost over $1 million in farmland value from produced water spills. On a bright July day, Daryl Peterson stood four… Continue reading → North Dakota farmers fear more than just oil spills
Standing Rock and Environmental Racism - Angie: “My name is Angie McGinnis I’m an organic vegetable farmer. My farm is located in Mandan North Dakota and I’m originally from Bismarck… 
A Cycle of Spills and Lies From the Oil and Gas Industry - “My name is Bob Arrington and I live here in Battlement Mesa. A lot of my experience comes with the fact that I’ve seen many… Continue reading → A Cycle of Spills and Lies From the Oil and Gas Industry
Protecting a Montana Ranch from the Keystone XL Pipeline - “I’m Chuck Nerud, and I live north of Circle, and I’m a rancher. This is the only place I’ve ever lived. My grandparents started this… Continue reading → Protecting a Montana Ranch from the Keystone XL Pipeline