Unconventional oil and gas development (UOG) generates high volumes of flowback and produced water, byproducts of hydraulic fracturing operations, that are often released or spilled on the soil surface. Soil contamination with these wastewaters, commonly referred to as brine, has the potential to inhibit vegetation growth indefinitely. Natural attenuation of brine is not expedient in arid and semi-arid regions where most United States UOG developments are located, including the Bakken region of North Dakota.
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