Chord Energy Corporation reported a produced water and crude oil spill at its Thomas 4I central tank battery in Williams County, North Dakota, on August 6, 2026. The site sits about 15.5 miles southeast of Epping.
The release put 325 barrels of produced water and 75 gallons of crude oil onto the ground at the location. Chord Energy notified the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, which sent an inspector to the site.
By August 7, crews had recovered all 325 barrels of produced water and all 75 gallons of crude oil. The inspector will keep monitoring the site for any further cleanup work.
A tank battery is the cluster of tanks that holds oil and water pumped up from a well before it moves elsewhere. Federal and state laws require operators to report spills of any material that could pollute water, air, or soil. North Dakota tracks these reports through its Unified Spill Reporting System at spill.nd.gov.
