Photo: Wood TV
succeed? Is never completely clean the oil spill from the Enbridge pipeline? 7 months after the spill, the cleanup continues.
Almost seven months after 843.000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline Enbridge Energy to flow into the Kalamazoo River, the work continues. teams working on 18 sites rehabilitation s'acharnent about 30 miles along the river, contractors hired by Enbridge shovel frozen ground is to send them analyzed for the presence of contaminants. If the soil is toxic, it will be trucked to a landfill site approved by EPA.
"There is a way to proceed in stages to ensure that oil is picked up," said Christopher Haux, manager of operations for Enbridge Energy. "We do not want to leave the oil here, neither do we." 
But it's a delicate balance between removing as much oil as possible and at the same time maintaining the rest of the environment. The work is invasive. This month, a team of more than 200 workers have removed parts of polluted shores and have completely renovated a few streams and springs. The work is far from being completed, yet the months of cleanup, and it is anticipated that costs will be approximately $ 550 million. Enbridge authorities insist that the company complies with the guidelines of the state and federal, and promises to improve things. The work will continue during the winter, spring and summer. Crews will have already retrieved 766.000 gallons of oil by Enbridge. 
leaves too much oil on the spot in places already declared "cleansed" said John Bolenbaugh, a former employee of Enbridge: "You can see all that oil and water relfets on there?" Bolenbaugh request to our cameraman during the tour he gave us along the River in Battle Creek and Marshall. "You see? This is a brown canvas they put coats places after finishing. "Bolenbaugh was fired after speaking to the media to share its concerns vis-à-vis the cleanup, he said. He began a lawsuit against the company for having been the victim of be an informant. "They leave oil, massive quantities of oil in places they think that person will go and check" continues Bolenbaugh. He admitted having a criminal record for sexual misconduct, having served his sentence in prison . But, insists Bolenbaugh, his past has nothing to do with his criticism about the oil into the river. The Enbridge officials do not want to pass comment on the reports of Bolenbaugh, at least not directly, but say they want the public to notify them if the oil is seen along the River. They admit that a few patches of oil were detected.
"We'll be there for quite a long time," says Michael Alexander, a project coordinator for the NDER, "You will see iridescent. People need to understand and live with."
It's impossible to remove any oil, and there are dangers involved too said Thomas Voice, director of environmental engineering at Michigan State University: "There will always residues, "he said.
Instead of removing all the oil as some would do, said Voice reduce exposure to oil may be more important, long term," When a surgeon operates, he attempts to remove all the tumor, it must still decide where to stop. How much damage will you do if you try to take everything off? "He asks.
According to Alexander:" We evaluate each site where we are working to assess the benefits of removing the oil versus the potential negative impacts on the habitat, before undertaking anything. "
Bolenbaugh worried anyway:" I know qu'ils ne peuvent pas tout enlever, mais il n'en enlèvent pas assez. Et quand vous mettez de la nouvelle terre par-dessus le sol contaminé, cela s'appelle une opération de camouflage, pas de l'assainissement."
Photo: Oil Spill News .net
"Will oil ever be completely cleaned up?
7 months after spill, Enbridge cleanup continues
Nearly seven months after 843,000 gallons of oil gurgled from an Enbridge Energy pipeline into the Kalamazoo River, the work continues. Eighteen active cleanup sites sit along 30 miles of the river, where crews contracted by Enbridge scoop up frozen soil and haul it off to be checked for contaminants. If the soil is toxic, it goes to a landfill approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"There is a process, a step process, to make sure the oil is cleaned up," said Christopher Haux, an Enbridge Energy operations manager. "We don't want to leave any oil here, either."
But a delicate balance exists, between cleaning up as much oil as possible, and still trying to maintain what is left of the environment. The work is invasive. This month, a team of more than 200 workers hauled away polluted riverbank, and completely restructured several streams and creeks. The cleanup is months from completion, and estimated at $550 million. Enbridge officials insist the company is working within state and federal guidelines, and promised to make things better. The work will carry on into the winter, spring and summer. Crews already have recovered about 766,000 gallons of the oil, according to Enbridge.
But the EPA, in a letter to Calhoun County officials obtained by 24 Hour News 8, said while it believes Enbridge has recovered nearly all of the oil, "the EPA is evaluating whether additional cleanup needs to be performed," and "remains committed to further cleanup ... and to holding Enbridge accountable." But Enbridge is leaving too much oil behind in areas already deemed "clean," said John Bolenbaugh, a former Enbridge cleanup worker. "You see all the oil and sheen back there?" asked Bolenbaugh, taking our cameras on his own tour along the river in Battle Creek and Marshall. "Do you see it? "This is a brown canvas they put over the top of areas when they're done with it." Bolenbaugh was fired after speaking to the media about his cleanup concerns, he said. Now, he's pursuing a whistle-blower lawsuit against the company. "They're leaving oil -- massive amounts of oil -- in areas they thought no one was going to dig up," Bolenbaugh said. He admits to a criminal past, involving sexual misconduct for which he served time in prison. But, Bolenbaugh said, his past has nothing to do with his claims about oil in the river.
Enbridge officials wouldn't comment on Bolenbaugh's claims directly, but said they want members of the public to inform them of any oil spotted along the river. It's likely some pockets of oil still remain, state officials acknowledge.
"We're going to be out here for some time," said Michael Alexander, a project coordinator for the DNRE. "You're going to see some sheen. People have to understand, and have to deal with that."
It's impossible to get all the oil, and there's a danger in doing too much, said Thomas Voice, the director of environmental engineering at Michigan State University. "There will always be some residuals," he said.
Instead of trying to dig out all of the oil as some suggest, Voice said limiting exposure may be more important; long-term. "When a surgeon goes in, they try to cut away the bad tissue if it's a tumor or something," Voice said. "But they've always got to make a judgment -- where do they stop? How much damage do you do, to get everything?"
Said Alexander: "We evaluate every site that we work on for the benefit of removing the oil, versus potential impact to habitat, before we do anything out here."
Still, Bolenbaugh's concerns remain.
"I know they can't get it all out, but they're not doing it good enough," he said. "And when you put fresh dirt over oil, that's cover-up, not cleanup.""
Excerpts from article written by Brian Sterling published here:
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kalamazoo_and_battle_creek/Will-oil-ever-be-completely-cleaned-up
Photo: Adnre J. Jackson
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