High benzene levels found after Montana pipeline spill

Eastern Montana residents rushed to stock up on bottled water Tuesday after authorities detected a cancer-causing component of oil in public water supplies downstream of a pipeline spill in the Yellowstone River.

Elevated levels of benzene were found in water samples from a treatment plant that serves about 6,000 people in the agricultural community of Glendive, near the border with North Dakota.

Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the benzene levels were above those recommended for long-term consumption but did not pose a short-term health hazard. Residents were warned not to drink or cook with water from their taps.

Benzene levels of 10 to 15 parts per billion were detected, said Paul Peronard of the EPA. Anything above 5 parts per billion is considered a long-term risk, he said.

He acknowledged problems in how officials addressed the city's water supply, including not having the right testing equipment on hand right away to pick up contamination. But he and others involved in the spill response said officials acted based on the best information available.

Some criticized the timing of Monday's advisory, which came more than two days after 50,000 gallons of oil spilled from the 12-inch Poplar pipeline, which is owned by the Wyoming-based Bridger Pipeline Co. The spill occurred about 5 miles upstream from the town.

Company and government officials have struggled to come up with an effective way to recover the crude, most of which appears to be trapped beneath the ice-covered Yellowstone River.

A mechanical inspection of the damaged line Tuesday revealed the breach occurred directly beneath the river, about 50 feet from the south shore, Bridger Pipeline spokesman Bill Salvin said.

The pipeline operator was unearthing the pipeline so the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration can investigate the spill, PHMSA spokesman Damon Hill said. Environmental response agencies said they had no timeline for completing an investigation and restarting the line.

The cause remains undetermined.

Representatives from the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier said preliminary monitoring of the city's water showed no cause for concern. The water treatment plant operated until Sunday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Bridger Pipeline discovered the spill, officials said.

Additional tests were conducted early Monday after residents began complaining of a petroleum- or diesel-like smell from their tap water. That's when the high benzene levels were found.

Officials took initial steps Tuesday to decontaminate the water system. Glendive Mayor Jerry Jimison said it was unknown when the water treatment plant would be back in operation.

Until that happens, Salvin said the company will provide 10,000 gallons of drinking water a day to Glendive, a measure that started on Monday.

The Poplar pipeline involved in Saturday's spill runs from Canada to Baker, Montana, picking up crude along the way from Montana and North Dakota's Bakken oil-producing region.

Wire services