Whiting Oil Valve Failure; Surface Oil Spill; No Injuries -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Whiting reports a failed valve resulted in oil, water, and natural gas escaped from the well at the Roggenbuck 14-25H, file number 17939, about eight (8) miles northwest of New Town, North Dakota. No injuries. Reported to government agencies. More to follow.

This was a very unusual horizontal well. The horizontal leg is not a straight lateral as is normally seen. The horizontal leg goes due south for about one-half mile before it makes a gentle turn to the east, ending about 1.5 miles farther east.  Although the well is in T154R93, section 25, the long lateral drains section 36 of that township, and section 31 of T153R92, and sits on the north / east side of the river, in Sanish field. 

First paragraph posted at 5:43 p.m. CST, Sunday, November 21, 2010.
Second paragraph added at 7:31 p.m. CST, Sunday, November 21, 2010.

Updates

November 23, 2010: Update here.