Cleanup underway for nearly 3M-gallon saltwater spill in ND, largest since oil boom began

Cleanup is underway after nearly 3 million gallons of brine, a salty, toxic byproduct of oil and natural gas production, leaked from a pipeline in western North Dakota. It's the largest spill of its kind in the state since the current energy boom began.

Operator Summit Midstream Partners LLC says its "full and undivided attention" is focused on cleaning up and repairing any environmental damage. A contractor will be on site Thursday, assessing the damage.

The full environmental impact might not be clear for months. A million-gallon saltwater spill in 2006 is still being cleaned up nearly a decade later.

It wasn't immediately clear when the spill began. State health officials on Wednesday said they weren't given a full account of the size until Tuesday.