Hi-Crush Issues Update Regarding Whitehall Incident


HOUSTON, May 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hi-Crush Partners LP (NYSE:HCLP), or “Hi-Crush”, provided the following update regarding the incident which occurred at the Company’s Whitehall facility on May 21, 2018.

“On Monday May 21, 2018, a bulldozer operated by a worker from Gerke Excavating, Inc. became submerged in a detention pond at our Whitehall facility,” said Scott Preston, Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Crush. “Other workers on the scene promptly called emergency responders and immediately implemented our safety and rescue plan. This included reducing the amount of water in the pond, which allowed for a life-saving rescue. We salute the efforts of all those who were involved in the operators rescue, are proud of our team’s quick thinking, and are grateful that the bulldozer operator was able to return to his family.

“The emergency release of an estimated 10 million gallons of water was necessary in the successful effort to rescue the bulldozer operator. The water that was released to rescue the operator contained silt, clay and sand. As part of the regulatory framework governing our industry, we conduct analysis of water discharged from our facility, and those tests have shown no indication of substances that are harmful to wildlife, humans or the environment. 

“We have initiated a clean-up effort in consultation with the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and local officials. This includes installing sediment and run off barriers to contain and capture the silt; repairing the berm on the pond to prevent further drainage; starting to clean up the neighboring properties; and planning appropriate clean-up efforts in consultation with DNR staff.

“The Wisconsin DNR has taken dissolved oxygen samples upstream from the point where the silt initially entered the river and from areas within Independence, Arcadia, Dodge, and the Mississippi River before and after the silt plume passed through. The DNR has informed us that they did not find any significant difference in dissolved oxygen.

“As always, Hi-Crush is focused on safety, and is committed to being a responsible community partner. We are performing the necessary clean-up and restoration efforts to mitigate any effects from the water release. Hi-Crush will continue to work with the DNR, local officials and our neighbors to address concerns in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner.”

About Hi-Crush

Hi-Crush is a premier provider of proppant and logistics solutions to the North American energy industry. Our portfolio of purpose-built production facilities are capable of producing 13.4 million tons per year of high-quality monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral used as a proppant during the well completion process, necessary to facilitate the recovery of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. Our production facilities' direct access to major U.S. railroads enhance our delivery capabilities into consuming basins, while our strategically located owned and operated in-basin terminals as well as our in-basin production facility positions us within close proximity to significant activity in all major oil and gas basins for advantageous truck transportation. Our integrated distribution system, enhanced by our innovative PropStream™ logistics solution, efficiently delivers proppant the "last mile" into the blender, providing customers surety of supply from mine to wellsite. For more information, visit www.hicrush.com.

For More Information:

Steve Bell
Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications
(713) 980-6225
sbell@hicrush.com