Wildlife Mortality Risk in Oil Field Waste Pits. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mission and Vision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Pedro Ramirez, Jr. Environmental Contaminants Specialist. “Wildlife Mortality Risk in Oil Field Waste Pits.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Official Web page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service — Photo by Brent Esmoil. USFWS.

The risk that oil pits pose to wildlife has been documented by several studies (Esmoil 1995, Flickinger 1981, Flickinger and Bunck 1987, Grover 1983, and King 1956). Wildlife attracted to oil-covered pits or ponds suffer death in several ways:

• they can become entrapped in the oil and drown;
• birds can ingest toxic quantities of oil by preening their oil-covered feathers;
• mammals can ingest toxic quantities of oil when they try to lick their fur clean; and
• cold stress can kill the animal if oil damages the insulation provided by feathers or fur.

/app/uploads/frack_files/pits1.jpg — Photo by Pedro Ramirez. USFWS.

Even if animals are not killed in the pits, the oil and chemicals in the pits can harm them later. If they absorb or ingest oil in less than toxic amounts they may suffer a variety of systemic effects and may become more susceptible to disease and predation. During the breeding season, birds can transfer oil from their feet and feathers to their eggs. In some cases, a few drops of oil on an egg shell can kill the embryo (King and LeFever 1979). USFWS Environmental Contaminants (EC) Specialists and Special Agents have observed evidence of scavengers feeding on oiled wildlife carcasses near oil pits. Scavengers and predators can also suffer indirect effects by consuming oil-covered carcasses.

The risk that oil pits pose to wildlife has been documented by several studies. Hydrofracking involves the storage of “frack water” in open pits.

/app/uploads/frack_files/pits5.jpg — Photo by Gary Mowad. USFWS.

The absence of wildlife or carcasses in pits does not mean that the sites are not risks for migratory birds and other animals. Wildlife mortality in oil pits can go undetected because carcasses in oil pits can sink and remain undetected (Flickinger and Bunck 1987); because scavengers such as coyotes, raccoons, and raptors can remove the carcasses from the edges of pits; and because people can remove carcasses from them

References:

Esmoil, B. 1995. Wildlife mortality associated with oil pits in Wyoming. Prairie Naturalist 27(2):81-88.

Esmoil, B. 1991. Wildlife mortality associated with oil pits in Wyoming. Masters Thesis. University of Wyoming. Laramie, WY. 61 pp.

Flickinger, E.L. 1981. Wildlife mortality at petroleum pits in Texas. Journal of Wildlife Management 45:560-564. Flickinger, E.L. and C.M. Bunck. 1987. Number of oil-killed birds and fate of bird carcasses at crude oil pits in Texas. Southwestern Naturalist 32:337-381.

Grover, V.L. 1983. The reduction of wildlife mortality in the sump pits of southeast New Mexico. Bureau of Land Management Report, Albuquerque, NM.

King, C.A. 1956. Waterfowl mortality on oil sumps of the Bighorn River drainage. Wyoming Game & Fish Dept. Report, Cheyenne, WY.

King, K. and C.A. LeFever. 1979. Effects of oil transferred from incubating gulls to their eggs. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 10:319-321.

Lee, R. C. 1994. Migratory bird kills at petroleum pits in Texas. Report of Investigation (copy) in Environmental Investigations Course Book. August 12-16, 1996, Reno, NV. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV.

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