Massive oil spill in the Yellowstone River leaves many enraged and without water

An oil pipeline breach underneath the Yellowstone River on January 17 altered the lives of many people living near the spill. The residents of Glendive, Montana experienced great terror when oil began to erupt into the river and contaminate their water supply.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - 50,000 gallons of crude oil poured out of the pipe, slicking the river for dozens of miles. The smell of diesel filled the air.

"People need to understand, this is a very serious thing," explained Dena Hoff, a resident and farmer near the break in the pipeline. "It impacts everything and everybody downstream."

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Due to the thick, winter ice covering the river, emergency workers are having a difficult time trying to quickly get to the source and contain the spill, according to Al Jazeera America.

Water supplies quickly ran low in the town, after health officials announced they found benzene levels in the municipal water treatment plant up to three times the safe level, according to the Center for Disease Control. People rushed markets buying out all the water, they ran to nearby towns to do their laundry or shower, while hospitals and schools struggled to keep people hydrated.

It wasn't until three days after the leak began that the owner of the Poplar Pipeline, Bridger Pipeline arrived with clean, bottled water.

Officials say it can be at lease a week until it's safe for the Glendive to use their taps again.

The lack of clean water is only one of the problems the leak has caused for Glendive. The towns major source of income comes from the selling of paddlefish. Supply of the prehistoric giant dropped in Asia, causing caviar from Glendive's supply to surge in value. They can sell for up to $1,000. The spill jeopardizes the life of the fish.

"Any kind of petroleum chemical, one of the places that accumulates is in the roe," said Bob Gibson, a spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to Al Jazeera America. "We have biologists out on the ice trying to figure out what's happening."

"This is bad. But it's nothing compared to what they want to put in," expressed Glendive resident, Irene Moffett, referring to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would also cross the Yellowstone River in Glendive.

Residents no longer want to bear the burden of another potential oil spill after dealing with multiple ones already.

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However, the pipeline supporters stress the fact that the new modern infrastructure is more secure than those built in 1950, like the one that burst. They say that pipelines, to this day, are the safest way to move massive amounts of oil.

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"This land is not the same as it was before, and we aren't sure it ever will be," said Alexis Bonogofsky, an environmental activist and farmer. "I wish I could be surprised that there is another spill in the Yellowstone, but I'm not. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when."

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