Four months after Enbridge oil spill, wary Jefferson County residents still want more answers
It was the second time representatives of Enbridge and staff members with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources met with town leaders and residents to provide updates on the oil spill and explain what comes next in the cleanup effort. Laura Payne, town chair and environmental engineer, requested the meeting on behalf of the community, which is demanding transparency from the Canadian oil transport company.
Late last year, Enbridge's Line 6 oil pipeline spilled nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil at the pumping station in Jefferson County. The 465-mile pipeline runs from Superior, Wisconsin, to a terminal near Griffith, Indiana.
The Line 6 spill has raised concerns about when the public should be notified of a spill, as well as why the initial report was so wildly inaccurate. Those concerns persisted at Monday's town meeting.
Enbridge reported a two-gallon spill to the DNR on Nov. 11, and updated the spill estimate to 126 gallons three days later. When the DNR notified the public of the spill on Dec. 13, the estimate was revised again, this time to 69,300 gallons. The spill was caused by a faulty valve, with the age of the part, installed in the early 1970s, listed as a contributing factor.
Community members are demanding transparency from the company, highlighting the need for clearer answers and accountability in the cleanup process.
Frequent and active communication from the start is key to success in situations like these, said Trevor Nobile, a field operations director with the DNR's Remediation and Redevelopment program.
During the two-hour meeting, many residents expressed distrust about the amount of oil spilled, when it began and how much has been cleaned up. The aging infrastructure was another sticking point.
Longtime resident Todd Touton brought up a lot of concerns about the future health of both the community and environment.
'We're talking about frightening things that could happen,' Touton said.
The oil spill that occurred at the Cambridge Station is one of the most difficult kinds of releases to quantify because it's underground, and isn't visible, said Shane Yokom, an environment supervisor at Enbridge.
While Enbridge determined that oil from the leak occurred gradually over time, Yokom said it's unclear when the Line 6 leak began. He suggested, though, that at this point the volume of the spill will not change.
Enbridge has reported that 60% of the spill has been cleaned up. However, there has been considerable confusion regarding the extent of the cleanup and how the company determined this. Despite this, Enbridge representatives stand by that number, and Yokom said that cleanup figure is even conservative — that it's likely cleaned up more.
Cleanup, emergency response and continued remediation are likely to cost at least $1.3 million. Nobile couldn't specify a timeframe of when the spill will be cleaned and the case closed, but the DNR official said everything was on track.
As a part of the remediation plan outlined on Monday night, Enbridge said it will monitor groundwater and surface water quarterly, and additional soil excavation will be done in April.
Environmental scientists with the company are testing for organic compounds found in petroleum products – and a variety of other products, called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Surface water sampling will be done alongside the Lake Ripley Water Management District. Oil migrating to Lake Ripley, the closest major body of water to the spill site, was another key concern at the meeting.
The Jefferson County Health Department recommended expanding well water sampling to a half-mile radius after residents raised concerns at the first meeting. Previously, testing covered a quarter-mile radius, the state-required distance. Wells on 11 residential properties will be monitored.
Yokom said there has only been groundwater contamination at the spill site, and it has not migrated elsewhere.
Since the Line 6 spill occurred more than four months ago, DNR staff have been meeting onsite with Enbridge representatives biweekly. So far, the environmental impacts have been contained to the spill site, Caroline Rice, a hydrogeologist with the DNR, told the Journal Sentinel. "And that's a really big positive."
Every community member who spoke also expressed appreciation that the company made time to answer questions. Payne is grateful for the open lines of communication between state and local agencies as well as Enbridge. She is confident the contamination is contained, but her top priority is making sure the community is safe and feels heard.
"We need to look at this very closely and keep monitoring," Payne said. "I will be watching and making sure nothing happens."
More: How could Enbridge's oil spill in Jefferson County go from 2 to nearly 70,000 gallons?
More: Enbridge Line 6 oil spill raises alarm over Line 5 reroute risks, environmentalists warn
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com, follow her on X @caitlooby and learn more about how she approaches her reporting.
Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort at jsonline.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jefferson County residents wary what Line 6 oil spill means for future
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