Oil pipeline leak pollutes major Michigan river
Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 6:30 PM
Crews were working Tuesday to contain and clean up more than 800,000 gallons of oil that poured into a creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan, coating birds and fish. In comparison, the government has estimated that the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico was spilling 1.5 million to 2.5 million gallons of oil each day before the flow was cut off.
View full sizeWorkers collect oil from a spill along Talmadge Creek in Marshall Township, Mich. on Tuesday.
Authorities in Battle Creek, Mich., and Emmett Township warned residents about the strong odor from the oil, which leaked Monday from a 30-inch pipeline built in 1969 that carries about 8 million gallons of oil per day from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario.
Crews waded in oily water as they worked to stop the oil's advance downstream. Oil-covered Canada geese walked along the banks of the Kalamazoo River, and photos showed dead fish floating in the spill. The Kalamazoo River eventually flows into Lake Michigan, but officials didn't expect the oil to reach the lake.
Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge Inc.'s affiliate Enbridge Energy Partners LP of Houston estimated about 819,000 gallons of oil spilled into Talmadge Creek before the company could stop the flow. Enbridge crews and contractors deployed oil skimmers and absorbent booms to minimize its environmental impact.
"We are going to do what it takes to make this right," Enbridge's president and CEO Patrick D. Daniel said during a news conference in Battle Creek.
The company had begun testing the air near the spill, with the primary concern being the possible presence of the cancer-causing chemical benzene. On Tuesday, the company said it hadn't found any levels that would be of concern in residential areas. Groundwater testing also was planned. Authorities evacuated two homes near the leak, and some locals said they were concerned about the fumes. But there were no reports of sickened residents.
View full sizeA Canada goose covered in oil walks near the Kalamazoo River in Battle Creek, Mich. on Tuesday. July 27 2010
As of Tuesday afternoon, oil was reported in about 16 miles of the Kalamazoo River downstream of the spill, said Mary Dettloff, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. She said state officials were told during a company briefing that an estimated 877,000 gallons spilled -- a figure more than 50,000 gallons higher than the company's public estimate.
U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Mich., said he discussed the spill Tuesday with President Barack Obama at the White House. Schauer called the spill a "public health crisis," and said he plans to hold hearings to examine the response.
"The company was originally slow to respond and it is now clear that this is an emergency," Schauer told reporters on a conference call.
The cause of spill was under investigation. The oil spilled into the creek, which flows northwest into the river. The site is in Calhoun County's Marshall Township, about 60 miles southeast of Grand Rapids.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm activated the State Emergency Operations Center, and state officials conducted a helicopter flyover. Battle Creek and surrounding Calhoun County declared a local state of emergency.
"Our focus is protecting Michigan citizens and our environment by providing any needed state resources to expediently address the situation," Granholm said in a statement.
View full sizeA worker lifts oil-covered debris from the Kalamazoo River in Battle Creek, Mich., on Tuesday. July 27 2010
Enbridge said it had about 200 employees and contractors working on the spill. Local, state and federal agencies also were involved, and the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation. The pipeline was shut down Monday and isolation valves were closed, stopping the source of the oil, the company said.
The Kalamazoo River eventually bisects the city of Kalamazoo and meanders to Saugatuck, where it empties into Lake Michigan. Officials didn't think the oil would spread past Morrow Lake, which has a dam upstream of Kalamazoo, Dettloff said.
The river already faced major pollution issues. An 80-mile segment of the river and five miles of a tributary, Portage Creek, were placed on the federal Superfund list of high-priority hazardous waste sites in 1990. The Kalamazoo site also includes four landfills and several defunct paper mills.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said in a statement that his office has been in close contact with federal agencies to ensure that cleanup crews have the needed resources to complete the job as quickly as possible.
"For now, the focus is on limiting the damage and cleaning up the oil, Levin said. "It is also vitally important that the company responsible for the spill bear the costs of cleanup and that it compensate anyone who has suffered damages related to the spill."
The Michigan Department of Community Health warned the public to stay away from the creek and river during the cleanup. It also said people shouldn't eat fish from the waterways or have contact with the water, and farmers and homeowners who use the water for irrigation or livestock should stop.
Tim Martin of The Associated Press wrote this report. David Runk in Detroit contributed.
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Cleanup of spewing oil wellhead is under way in Barataria Waterway
Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 5:34 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 5:35 PM
The accident between a dredge barge and an oil wellhead in lower Jefferson caused a 100-foot plume of oil, natural gas and contaminated water to spew into the Barataria Waterway, parish and Coast Guard officials said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
An aerial view of the busted wellhead in Bayou St. Denis.
Marine traffic has been restricted by a two-mile safety zone established by the Coast Guard to prevent a possible ignition of the gas, said Capt. John Arenstam, deputy Coast Guard sector commander.
Response to the incident is being handled by federal authorities because the wellhead, which is owned by CEDYCO Corporation of Houston is considered "orphaned" because the company is now defunct, said Deano Bonano, the Jefferson Parish chief of homeland security. Authorities are using funds from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to pay for the cleanup operations, and have hired a Harahan company to cap and plug the damaged wellhead, Arenstam said.
Bonano said the leak is not classified as a large one, however the exact amount of oil and gas being spilled into the water is unknown.
Councilman Elton Lagasse called the incident yet another blow to the parish as it tries to recover from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
"We just got the Barataria Bay cleaned a week ago," Lagasse said. "This is something that could happen at anytime. There are thousands of these wells out there."
