A Bridger Pipeline Company pipeline burst in Montana has sent oil rushing into the Yellowstone River.

Montana governor Steve Bullock has declared a state of emergency because of the 50,400 gallons of oil that rushed into the river.  The river is a source of drinking water for many communities downriver of the spill.

Residents were told to avoid contact with the water which one citizen described as “smelling like pure diesel fuel.”

Officials in Dawson and Richland counties are providing bottled water for residents to use for cooking, drinking and other necessities.  The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services and multiple state agencies are on the scene to assist as necessary.

Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the U.S.  The last time a spill tainted the water was 2011, when 42,000 gallons poured from an ExxonMobil pipeline.