Enbridge estimates 1,650 bbl have leaked from its Line 6 before repair, an incident that has given fodder to opponents of another Enbridge project. (Source: Shutterstock.com)
A spill on Enbridge’s Line 6 in Wisconsin has brought the attention of the state government as well as opponents of the midstream company’s Line 5 project.
On Nov. 11, the Canadian-based midstream company notified the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of a crude oil spill on Line 6 in the small town of Oakland.
After the initial investigation, Enbridge estimated the spill volume to amount to as much as 3 bbl of crude. The midstream company also initiated a soil and groundwater investigation into the area surrounding the leak.
On Dec. 13, Enbridge revised the estimated spill up to as many “1,650 barrels based on filed investigation, observations and data available at the time,” the Wisconsin DNR said in a statement. Investigators with the state said the size of the spill may change again as investigations continue.
Enbridge did not immediately respond to a Hart Energy request for comment.
The company is responsible for damages related to the spill, and the DNR is considering “appropriate next steps, including any potential enforcement actions such as a corrective action order,” according to the statement from the agency.
Enbridge is continuing to evaluate the spill and report results to the state. A Dec. 18 report showed nearby residential well systems had not been contaminated.
Line 6 is a 465-mile, 34-inch crude pipeline with 667,000 bbl/d capacity. It connects to Enbridge’s Superior Terminal on Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin and terminates near Griffith, Indiana, south of Chicago.
Some environmentalists, including activist group Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA), pointed to the Line 6 spill as a reason to prevent Enbridge from completing its Line 5 rerouting project, which has been a controversial subject in several states, including Wisconsin, where the state recently issued permits.
“The close to 70,000 gallons of leaking crude oil from Enbridge’s Line 6 in Jefferson County shows why MEA has challenged DNR’s approval of the Line 5 reroute, and why we have specifically challenged DNR’s conclusion that the risk of a Line 5 spill is small,” MEA said in a statement.
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