Proposed Waste Dump Site in Dodge | Video

Alex Hagan | 7/3/2012

Mike Isaac has been farming near Dodge for more than 50 years, and the community has always been a quiet one, until recently.
"When you see the vehicles drive by, you know who it was just about. I mean, it was peaceful, it was quiet, and now there`s too much traffic. There`s trucks and strange vehicles," saiys Isaac.

The booming oil industry may soon get too close for comfort for Isaac and others. Waste Solutions, a company that handles waste from oilfields, has proposed building a new waste facility near town.

"We don`t know exactly what`s going to go into this wastefill. There are no real regulations, and I have concern of what`s going in there," said Dodge resident Nancy Evans.

Dodge has always been an agricultural community, and most residents don`t want that to change.

"This is a very cohesive community. It`s one you`d want to live in. It`s a rural, agriculture and just a really nice place to live," said Dodge resident Carol Moldenhauer.

Residents are also concerned about what will end up at the dump site. They say oilfield waste can be toxic and hazardous, which could harm animals and contaminate farmland.

"It`s going to make a difference to our property values but mostly it`s our livestock and to our crops," said Evans.

That`s why residents have asked a Bismarck attorney to keep the possible contaminants away.

"There`s a great potential for that to be affected, for the waste to migrate into the areas they are using the land for their life," said attorney Todd Sattler.

State Health Department employees say there are some harmful contaminants in oil waste.

"One of the chief hazards of this material, chief concerns is if the salt waste gets out into the open environment, it will damage soils," said Division of Waste Management Assistant Director Steve Tillotson.

And residents just want their town to be the same close knit community as always.

"When we first we`re talking about the landfill, it was breaking the town apart, and that can`t happen here. This is a wonderful town," said Evans.

The oil boom isn`t going away any time soon, and more small towns will likely have to deal with issues like this in the future. The proposal will go before the Dunn County Planning and Zoning Commission on July 10th.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY

BACK TO NEWS | BACK TO BISMARCK STORIES