Raul Vervuzco of Eagle Services uses a suction hose to
clean oil from atop the Kalamazoo River
Michigan and the Gulf Coast don't have much in common -- except a battle against oil-infused waters.
The Kalamazoo River is the new recipient of 800,000 gallons of crude oil, resulting from an underground pipeline in the Midwest, spanning across Canada and the United States. Estimates suggest approximately 19,500 barrels surged through the river and its surrounding area as a result. The pipeline is owned by a company called Enbridge Energy Partners. Discovered on Monday morning, the leak was plugged shortly thereafter as the pipeline's operators ceased oil flow through the line.
Several residents have been compelled to evacuate, and officials have closed access to the river. Cleanup efforts on behalf of Enbridge are now being doubled as federal and state officials begin the push to stop the oil's infiltration into the water before it hits a nearby lake.
Patrick Daniel, Enbridge's chief executive announced: “Our intention is to return your communities to its state before the spill”. He also offered: “We still have a lot to work to do.”