Oil Development in the western part of North Dakota can affect local water quality. Most oil wells have a vertical borehole that may be more than 10,000 feet in depth and when the oil-bearing formation, which may be only 50 to 150 feet thick, is encountered the borehole is drilled horizontally to penetrate the formation. To get to the oil-bearing formation, the vertical borehole will pass through some very deep (3000 feet or more), very salty aquifers. This salt water, which may be more saline than seawater, must be properly handled. Sometime, there are spills that can affect local surface and ground water sources used for animals such as beef and sheep. Additionally, the process of “fracking” the horizontal oil formation requires a large amount of fresh water, which can affect availability of fresh water for other uses such as public water systems, irrigation and livestock water.