Pipeline Dumps Oil into Yellowstone River!

[Ufatz]

Underwater pipeline just west of Billings broken. Oil flowing into the pristine Yellowstone River. What a tragedy! Have not found break yet and the river is very high. Oil now found fifty miles downstream.

For anybody who loves north America's last major undamed river this is just heartbreaking.

I guess the pipeline just HAD to be built beneath river bed.

[Jackpine Rob]

That really stinks! The Billings Gazette is reporting that 1000 barrels of oil escaped before they got it stopped, and it looks like so far traces have been found as far as 25 miles downstream.

Lots of conflicting reports - and the Gov out there apparently even said the oil had reached NoDak. Like the Gulf oil spill, getting an accurate readout may prove to be difficult as the politicians hype and the company downplays and everyone with an axe is looking for a grinder....

[chasineyes]

Underwater pipeline just west of Billings broken. Oil flowing into the pristine Yellowstone River. What a tragedy! Have not found break yet and the river is very high. Oil now found fifty miles downstream.

For anybody who loves north America's last major undamed river this is just heartbreaking.

I guess the pipeline just HAD to be built beneath river bed.

Well if we built it above the river that would be such an eyesore!!!

[Ufatz]

Many sections of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline rest on trestles over rivers and creeks, gulleys and swamps. Whole sections of the pipeline are up on trestles. No complaints from any of the wild critters about those trestles being eyesores.

I am not jumping all over the oil industry about this pipeline break, it appears the exceptionally high water caused the problem. But it had NOT been well maintained and company admits it.

Perhaps when the NEW one is built somebody will consider putting it OVER instead of UNDER the river. At least CONSIDER it......I'm no pipeline engineer, but I'd look at the concept.

[OnAFly]

At least it was in Billings and not in Bozeman. That would have been a lot of destroyed blue ribbon trout water.

I believe the Alaskan pipeline does have it's own issues as well. It was built to last only so long and we are reaching the end of it's designed lifetime. Though, a raised line is probably more easily replaced than a buried line.