SERA United States Environmental Protection Agency For more information EPA Marshall Office 13444 Preston Drive Community Involvement Phones 269-727-2511 and 312-343-6666 Open houses One-on-one availability sessions about the spill response will be held at EPA's Marshall field office from 5 to 7 p.m. on these dates: • July - 16 and 17 • July - 23 and 24 • August - 6 and 7 • August - 20 and 21 • September - 4 and 5 Don de Blasio EPA Community Involvement Coordinator 312-343-6666 de blasio. doiw/epa.gox On the Web www.epa.gov/enbridgespill/ Una version de la hoja de information esta disponible en espanol en www.epa.gov/enbridgespill. Si desea recibir una copia por corrco. comuniquese con Don de Blasio. Repositories Site documents and Internet access is available at these area libraries: Marshall District Library 124 W. Green St. Marshall Helen Warner Library 36 Minges Creek Place Battle Creek Willard Public Library 7 Van Buren St. W. Battle Creek Oil Cleanup Continues On Kalamazoo River Enbridge Oil Spill Marshall, Michigan June 2013 The U S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are supervising cleanup work by Enbridge Energy Partners LLP that is focusing on remaining pockets of submerged oil in the Marshall, Battle Creek and Galesburg areas. Enbridge"s Pipeline 6B ruptured in July 2010, spilling a large volume of crude oil into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. After the discharge, some of the oil sank and mixed with river sediment, making it difficult to locate and remove without doing additional environmental damage. 'Poling' technique The best way to identify the location of submerged oil and determine its extent is by using a field technique known as "poling:' Poling involves manually agitating soft sediment (river mud) using a pole with an attached disc combined with a global positioning system to record the exact location. When the sediment is agitated, submerged oil rises to the surface in the form of oil sheen and globules. A team, composed of mostly Enbridge personnel with oversight and direction from EPA and MDEQ employees, categorizes the response of the submerged oil to poling at each location as "heavy," "moderate,'5 "light,"' or "none." Thousands of poling results are used to map out locations of the river where submerged oil can then be targeted for removal by dredging. Workers on the Kalamazoo River performing poling operation to locate submerged oil. ------- Oil spill amounts Enbridge initially reported the pipeline break released 819,000 gallons of crude. The company later revised that amount to 843,000 gallons. At EPA's direction, Enbridge has provided regular, updated estimates of how much oil it has recovered since the spill. These estimates are based on methods worked out with EPA technical experts to determine the amount of oil in all waste recovery categories: oil, contaminated water, soil, vegetation, debris, and cleanup materials. As of this May, Enbridge estimates the company has recovered 1.15 million gallons of oil from the Kalamazoo River. Remaining oil and future recovery EPA estimates about 180,000 gallons of Line 6B oil (plus or minus 100,000 gallons) remain in the river bottom sediment. EPA has ordered Enbridge to remove the recoverable oil (about 12,000-18,000 gallons) by dredging. Thel62,000-168,000 gallons of oil that will remain in the river after this dredging work is complete will not be able to be recovered right away without causing significant adverse impacts to the river. Instead, it must be carefully monitored and collected over time using traps that gather contaminated sediment. Future oil recovery will depend on whether the crude eventually moves to the areas with these sediment traps. Dredge order issued On March 14, 2013, EPA ordered Enbridge to remove Line 6B oil and oil-containing sediment along parts of the Kalamazoo River where significant accumulations have been recently found. The order requires dredging of submerged oil and oil- contaminated sediment within the following areas: • Upstream of the Ceresco Dam • Mill Ponds area • Morrow Lake, Morrow Lake Delta and adjacent areas • Sediment traps at two designated locations The dredging of the specified areas must be completed by Dec. 31 this year. Dredging was the chosen technique because it has proven effective at removing submerged oil and oil-containing sediment. EPA and MDEQ experts agree that controlled dredging is the best and most proven way to eliminate the remaining recoverable oil and to remove oil that has collected in sediment traps. Community impact Dredging will affect residents and visitors to the area. For safety reasons, parts of the Kalamazoo River will have to be closed while dredging takes place. EPA and MDEQ have advised Enbridge that the river does not require complete closure and that the number and length of closed river sections should be minimized. Once detailed dredge plans have been finalized in late June, EPA will publicize the river closures. In the parts of the river that stay open, normal recreational activities such as kayaking and fishing remain available to the public. Some fishing advisories are, however, in effect (see box below). Local and state health departments agree there are no expected long-term health problems related to occasional contact with the remaining oil. Enbridge will maintain cleaning stations along the river for people who do encounter oil. Although dredging is a temporary inconvenience to the community, EPA and MDEQ experts have concluded that it is the best option for dealing with the continuing problem of submerged oil. EPA and MDEQ are committed to remaining on-scene until the area has been restored to the fullest practical extent. Talk with us EPA and MDEQ continue to staff a local field office at 13444 Preston Drive in Marshall. Residents who would like to discuss the cleanup may drop by to talk to agency representatives. Visitors are encouraged (but not required) to call first to make sure staff is available when they arrive. Call 269-727-2511 and leave a message. We will call you back to confirm a time. EPA and MDEQ will host informal open houses several times during the summer to give people additional opportunities to discuss the spill response (see front-page box for details). Several availability sessions may also be scheduled in other places over the next few months. Those meeting dates and locations will be advertised in the local media. State fish advisory Last summer, the Michigan Department of Community Health lifted the "Do Not Eat" fish consumption advisory for the stretch of the Kalamazoo River affected by the July 2010 oil spill. MDCH ended the ban based on testing results from fish samples collected in the fall of 2010 and again in the summer of 2011 from the Ceresco Impoundment and from Morrow Lake. However, fish advisories that were in place prior to the spill remain in effect. MDCH recommends people follow the recommendations for safely eating Kalamazoo River fish found at www. michigan.gov/eatsafefish or by calling 800-648-6942. ------- |