WATFORD CITY – A vandalism incident in which valves were left open on location resulted in the release of 18,270 gallons of produced water released at an oil and gas well near Watford City on Sunday.

The North Dakota Oil and Gas Division was notified of the release at the Stenehjem 6H oil and gas well, about nine miles east of Watford City. Abraxas Petroleum Corporation, operator of the well, contacted the local sheriff’s office about the incident. At the time of reporting 18,060 gallons of produced water had been recovered with vacuum trucks.

The product was contained on-site and cleanup is underway. A state inspector has been to the location and will monitor cleanup required.