Talmadge Creek oil spill
Location Talmadge Creek and
Kalamazoo River,
Calhoun County, near Marshall, Michigan
Coordinates

42°15′27″N 84°59′35″W / 42.25743°N 84.99307°W / 42.25743; -84.99307Coordinates: 42°15′27″N 84°59′35″W / 42.25743°N 84.99307°W / 42.25743; -84.99307{{#coordinates:42.25743|-84.99307|region:US-MI_type:waterbody|||||| |primary |name=

}}
Date July 26, 2010
Cause
Cause Ruptured pipeline
Operator Enbridge Energy
Spill characteristics
Volume 877,000 to 1,000,000 US gal (3,320,000 to 3,800,000 L)
Shoreline impacted ~25 mi (40 km)

The Talmadge Creek oil spill is a spill caused by a rupture in Enbridge Energy pipeline line 6B at 09:45 on 26 July 2010, in Calhoun County, Michigan, that leaked 877,000 gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek that flows into the Kalamazoo River.[1][2][3] The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later estimated the spill to be in excess of one million gallons.[4] On 29 July 2010, the Calhoun County Health Department asked 30 to 50 households to evacuate, and twice as many were advised not to drink their water.[5]

The oil was contained to a 25-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River as several hundred workers took part in the cleanup.[6] Regional EPA Director Susan Hedman estimates that it will take weeks to remove the bulk of the oil from the river, several months to clear oil from the flood plains, and several more months to clean the oil out of the marsh where the spill originated. Costs of the cleanup are currently estimated to be at around five million dollars but are expected to rise.[7]

See also

References

  1. Klug, Fritz (Monday, 26 July 2010). "Oil spills into Calhoun County creek that leads to Kalamazoo River". Kalamazoo Gazette. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/07/oil_spills_into_creek_that_lea.html. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  2. Lambert, Sarah (Monday, 26 July 2010). "840,000 gallons of oil leak into creek". The Battle Creek Enquirer. http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100726/NEWS01/307260016/1002/840+000+gallons+of+oil+leak+into+creek. Retrieved 27 July 2010.[dead link]
  3. Jaclyn Gallucci (28 July 2010). "Michigan Oil Spill Update: Oil in Kalamazoo River". The Long Island Press. http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/07/28/michigan-oil-spill-update-july-28-oil-flows-in-kalamazoo-river/. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  4. EPA (Tuesday, 27 July 2010). "EPA Response to Enbridge Spill in Michigan". United States Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/enbridgespill/. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  5. Sarah Lambert (Friday, 30 July 2010). "Air quality spurs evacuations in oil spill area". The Battle Creek Enquirer. http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100730/OILSPILL/7300328/Leak+forces+evacuations+. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  6. The Associated Press (Sunday, 1 August 2010). "EPA notes improvements at Michigan oil spill site". Google News. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbazNv8HPBELUpCXxcRQmCxaO3DgD9HB1D9G0. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  7. Michael Wood (Sunday, 1 August 2010). "Enbridge spill clean-up will take months". The Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/08/01/14896256.html. Retrieved 2 August 2010.