(task) Up to 50,000 gallons of oil spilled in Yellowstone River; residents told not to drink water - CNN.com

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pipeline, petro, environment, water

> http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/us/yellowstone-river-spill/index.html <http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/us/yellowstone-river-spill/index.html>
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> Up to 50,000 gallons of oil spilled in Yellowstone River; residents told not to drink water
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> (CNN)A Montana pipeline burst sent as much as 50,400 gallons of oil gushing into the Yellowstone River, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.
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> Residents in nearby cities were told not to drink the tap water, which some said smelled like diesel.
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> The massive oil spill happened when the 12-inch pipeline, which crosses the Yellowstone River, ruptured Saturday about 5 miles upstream from Glendive, Montana's Department of Environmental Quality said. The Bridger Pipeline company shut down the pipeline.
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> Glendive City Council member Gerald Reichert was among the residents who noticed a disturbing odor in the drinking water.
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> "Suddenly at our house there was a definite smell. It was a diesel smell," Reichert told the Grand Forks Herald <http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/3659215-fresh-water-being-trucked-glendive-mont-after-almost-50000-gallons-bakken-crude-oil>.
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> Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced a state of emergency for Dawson and Richland counties.
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> And while officials wait for results from water sample testing, they're advising residents to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
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> A host of agencies have responded to the oil spill, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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> Adding to the problems, the weather: the Yellowstone River is partially frozen, making it difficult to clean up the mess.
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> This isn't the first major oil spill into the Yellowstone River -- the longest undammed river in the United States.
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> In 2011, up to 42,000 gallons poured out of a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline.
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> CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.