Marshall Township, Mich. Photo by WZZM 13's Peter Ross on 7/26/11.
Photo from Battle Creek Enquirer
MARSHALL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) - One year after more than 800,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River, about 700 workers are still cleaning up the mess. Most of their work now is focused on recovering oil submerged under the river's bottom near Ceresco Dam, Morrow Lake and Mill Pond.
Jason Manshum, an Enbridge spokesman, said workers are "purposely agitating the soil, which frees the oil, which rises then up to the surface because it's lighter than water - then we can capture it at the top of the water and remove it."
Manshum says Enbridge is on target to meet the EPA-ordered deadline of August 31 to remove all the submerged oil possible. There is a chance some sections of the Kalamazoo River will reopen to recreational use by year's end, according to EPA official Ralph Dollhopf. "We've gotten a lot done, made tremendous progress, but we're not done," Dollhopf told WZZM 13.
Enbridge is also building several riverside parks that, when finished will improve public access to the river. They will feature parking, picnic benches and boat launches.
Oil resumed flowing through the pipeline that ruptured last September following repairs. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to issue a determination on why the pipeline ruptured.
Enbridge estimates it will spend about $550 million dollars cleaning up the spill. "We are here until the project is complete," Manshum said.