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.

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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.

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