Enbridge plans to continue unfinished dredging works at three major impoundment areas, including Morrow Lake and Delta in 2014.
Because the Company failed to complete the required dredging, under the EPA’s March 14, 2013, order, by Dec. 31, 2013, the Comstock Township dredge pad construction is planed for this month.
On Feb. 17, 2014, Comstock Charter Township Planning Commission unanimously approved a dredge pad location for Enbridge to process dredged sediment. Enbridge now has the needed permits to build a dredge pad and conduct the lake and delta work to remove oil-contaminated sediment. The project is expected to continue throughout the summer.
The permit granted by the township expires Nov. 30, 2014. The company’s original plan last year to set up a dredge pad in another location was met with local opposition, and the township denied the permit.
EPA and MDEQ experts chose dredging as the best cleanup technique because it has proven effective at removing submerged oil and oil-containing sediment. 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. On Nov. 21, 2013, EPA denied Enbridge’s request for a time extension to complete work required.
The Agency is considering its enforcement options in light of the missed deadline. The spill from Enbridge’s Line 6B pipeline released hundreds of thousands of gallons of heavy crude oil into Talmadge Creek and contaminated 40 miles of the Kalamazoo River.
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Press Release, March 5, 2014