Oil activity reaches Douglas
Oil activity reaches Douglas
By STU MERRY
Oil activity has reached Douglas. No wells are being drilled in the vicinity, but the community has become the site of a depot that provides specialized ceramic sand to well sites in northwest North Dakota. The facility is located on a rail spur near the former Douglas elevator.
The depot is operated by Enermax/S&S Sales based regionally out of Williston. The firm also has depots in Burlington and Williston. S& S Sales provides trucking services for delivery of bulk and bagged drilling material (frack sand) to the Williston Basin. Each site features different grades/types of sand. While the Douglas site’s primary product is ceramic sand, other sites feature special sand that is brought in from Russia and China.
The owner of the terminal is Carbo Ceramics of Houston, Texas. The firm is the world’s largest manufacturer of ceramic proppant, used during the hydraulic fracturing process to enhance productivity. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves pumping a pressurized mix of water, sand and chemicals underground to crack open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas.
