Record passengers at Williston airport after Delta and United flights begin

KFYR-TV in Bismark has the report:  Williston Airport Breaks Record.

It is about a month that United and Delta have been flying into Williston.  The article reports 5,000 passengers through the airport in November. That is the record, surpassing the previous record of 2,000.

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Impressions of a new geologist after a year in Bakken

In an article titled The Bakken Boom and the New Wild West – A Young Geologist’s Perspective, a newly graduated geologist, Mr. R. Tyler Powers, describes his first year working in the Bakken oil field. It is hard work, typically running 90 hours a week. Looks like it is tremendously rewarding to a geologist.

As a desk-bound accountant by attitude and training, I’m astounded at the technology of drilling. I stand in awe of the team that can drill 8,000 or 12,000 feet down, turn the well 90 degrees over the distance of a few more hundred feet, and hit an oil layer that is a dozens of feet thick. Then drill another 10,000 feet through that 100 foot wide layer.

Here is a mild hint of the challenge: Continue reading “Impressions of a new geologist after a year in Bakken”

Official estimate of Williston population grows 9% in 2011

The Williston Herald describes the Census Bureau’s estimate of 2011 population for North Dakota and key cities in their article Census estimates indicate growth in ND oil patch.

The article says the official estimates are that Williston and Watford City grew by 9% in 2011. 

Official count for the state is 683,932.

Although this is the official data, the real count is likely far higher. The changes in the oil patch are running too fast for the estimates to keep up.

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