Battle Creek Oil Spill

[Flightstopper]

Yeah what a tragedy. I live in Battle Creek and the smell is unbareable. I have seen many dead and dying waterfowl. I too am one now scrambling to find new hunting and fishing spots. To see all the dead smallmouth and other fish just makes me sick. This needs to be more of a headline. People don't seem to realize how serious this is. If they can't stop this slick there could be horendous ramifications. I have seen geese on my local lakes with oil on them too. It could end up being a tough season. Hopefully they get it somewhat cleaned up before flights start coming through.

[smoke]

I watched the local news 8 out of GR last night, news at 11:00. They have been digging up info on enbridge. They reported an enbridge truck at the site of the line break being there at 11:00pm Sunday night. Reportedly, they were there because someone called in about a "funny smell" coming from the pipeline. Hmmm. When people asked, what he was there for and what he was doing, he said, "the smell was nothing to worry about it was from a vent." Yea.............. sure it was, it was all ready leaking oil then.

The EPA has taken over the spill containment along with enbridge and several other companies. The huge issue right now is the height of the river, it's not flood stage but it is very high and running very fast. the current in the kazoo is deceiving, it doesn't look like it's running very fast by us, but run up river in a boat and you find out quickly how much water is flowing by. Millions and millions of gallons per day. Now with the rain BC got yesterday, it is going to make the containment very difficult at best. I fully expect to see oil floating by my house in the next few days.................. That River has been mistreated for so many years, it sickening the think about it. The paper mills in Otsego and Plainwell dumped untreated raw paper sewage in the river for years unmonitored. In addition, they have yet to get much if any money out of them for cleanup! They just did a superfund project around US 131 where the river crosses under the highway. Now this! Unfriggin believable.

The news also mentioned the the pipeline is shut down indefinitely because of a letter from the government sent to enbridge on 7/15 stating the the pipeline was corroded and not safe for use, because of corrosion in the exact location of the spill! SO when enbridge said the pipeline would be back up and running within a few days. Wrong answer gentleman. They had a meeting scheduled for 11:00pm last night, which was canceled at the last minute for some reason?

Smoke

[BigR]

This was posted yesterday online...

All Questions, Concerns, etc. should be directed to this website...numbers and contact info can be found there...

http://www.response.enbridgeus.com/response/


Dead on with all your stuff Smoke!

[smoke]

Well Ryan, unfortunetly I have a huge stake in all this crap........

I own 5 acres on the Kazoo with my home, duck boat dock, water well and 596' of frontage. I really felt bad for the people of the gulf coast as I have some close friends that live in La. and Ms, now I know exaclty how they feel brother. It's very difficult to even watch the news coverage, but I have a vested interest in this one.

And just being a waterfowl hunter, it makes me want somebodies *** cheeks when I see all the waterfowl and water critters that are succumbing to this latest disaster! From ducks and geese to muskrats, mink and all the smallies that are dieing right now. It's sickening tbh.............. And to know that enbridge had knowledge of the issue with their friggin pipe! Just unbelievable! Why wasn't it taken care of before it got to this point. Or the blowout noticed with a pressure change in the pipe for cripes sakes!

Doesn't anyone monitor this?! They are now estimating 1,000,000 gallons. It's now in the green space as well as the flood plain because the water is so high......

My guess would be GREED my friend PURE FILTHY BLACK GOLD GREED!

Smoke

[carsonr2]

Sad, sad day. Thoughts are with you guys having to deal directly with this tragedy.

Have they had to shut down some municiple water supplys associated with the K-zoo river?

[raisinrat]

Hey this is to the guys that live over.

I am thinking once I am done with my move this weekend.Since I am laid off I figured why not try to get over there and lend a hand. Is there any info yet on where people can go and help? Also is there a truck stop close by that has showers and what not. I was planing on crashing in my truck while I was over there.

[smoke]

Rasinrat i'll try to find the link to where you can go to help. I saw it on the news last night and I think my wife wrote down the info. I'll try to post up in the next day or so. Or maybe someone has it in front of them now. AS far as a truck stop, i'm sure there are a couple being as your near I 94. Hell if I lived closer you could crash at my pad for as long as you wanted to work on the spill. But i'm about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away. By the way, thank you for being willing to help out with the spill!

Smoke

[raisinrat]

Thanks smoke I will be keeping an eye for it I have been reading through so many news articles but can't seem to find anything.

[Remnar]

The info copied below is from the company web site linked earlier in the thread. It has some contact info.

Remnar

We want to thank the community for their offers of assistance. We understand that this is your community and that you want to help us contain and clean up the area as quickly as possible. If you do want to offer your assistance, please contact the toll-free public information hotline at (800) 306-6837 or use the contact form on this site. It may take us some time to respond to you as we continue our planning and containment efforts, but we will call if we need your assistance.

Our top priority continues to be the safety and health of everyone in the area. We are asking area residents to avoid contact with the oil. If they have concerns about their water quality, notice a smell, want to report affected wildlife or have any questions about the oil spill, they should contact the public information hotline at (800) 306-6837.

The focus of our work continues to be the containment of the spill. Enbridge is committed to containing the oil spilled as quickly as possible so area residents can return to their normal routines. Estimates indicate that as of 9 p.m. EDT, the last indication of oil, in the form of pockets of sheen on the water, was seen on the Kalamazoo River approximately 7 miles from the opening to Morrow Lake. Placement of a boom at the opening of Morrow Lake started last night and will continue this morning. We have 10 boom sites set up at this time with an additional 10 being put in place shortly. We are working as quickly as we can to contain and remove the oil and minimize the impact to the surrounding communities and the environment.

To ensure the safety of our employees, contractors and all other site workers, they will not be working outdoors if severe weather occurs as expected later today. We will be monitoring the situation closely.
22,000 feet of boom arrived yesterday to be deployed today, bringing to a total of 45,000 feet deployed or available. We are expecting our workforce to double today with more people and equipment arriving. Yesterday we had more than 150 people helping to provide assistance.
Our public information hotline is open 24-hours a day to respond to inquiries. If you do have any questions or concerns about affected areas, call (800) 306-6837.

The cause of the spill is not known. Our immediate priority is the safety of everyone in the area and the cleanup of the spill. We are working with the regulators and other officials to contain the leak, determine the cause and return the area to its original state.

Individuals should not attempt to approach, rescue, or contain any animals exposed to the oil. Attempts to capture animals may cause injury to both the animal and the rescuer. Enbridge is working with Focus Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources and the Fish & Wildlife Service in the area. Volunteers interested in assisting can call the public information hotline at (800) 306-6837. Volunteers will need to attend an eight-hour training session.

Residents who are concerned about the odor, or who have questions about the oil spill, should call the public information hotline at (800) 306-6837. If the smell bothers you, stay indoors, close the doors and windows.
We continue to monitor air quality from 117 locations along the river and in the communities along the river. Overnight testing from all locations found there were no benzene detections and no H2S detections. We will notify residents if any indications of detection are found. Air quality will continue to be monitored over the next period of time until it is determined that there is no risk to the public.
Water sampling has been conducted upstream from the incident on the Kalamazoo, downstream and in Lake Morrow. Water samples are being turned around in a matter of hours in town.
This response website will be continually updated with the latest information.

[raisinrat]

Originally Posted by smoke

Rasinrat i'll try to find the link to where you can go to help. I saw it on the news last night and I think my wife wrote down the info. I'll try to post up in the next day or so. Or maybe someone has it in front of them now. AS far as a truck stop, i'm sure there are a couple being as your near I 94. Hell if I lived closer you could crash at my pad for as long as you wanted to work on the spill. But i'm about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away. By the way, thank you for being willing to help out with the spill!

Smoke

My name is on the list of people they will call for wildlife rescue and cleaning of the animals. Here is the number you have to call.

Volunteer to help: US Fish & Wildlife Service: 800-306-6837

I hope my back ground in being a River Fishing guide and my little bit of background in bird rescue,lithology, and ecology gets me called up to help.

From what it sounds like is that they are still getting the chain of command place when it comes to the animals and the people that cleaning them up.

[Bellyup]

Y'all better brace for it. Unconfirmed reports this morning that the oil made it over the dam at Morrow. Last night helicopters were flying the river below Morrow looking for the slick.

I listened to the radio this morning on my way into work. The EPA has taken over. Enbridge is no longr in control. Better or not, it does not matter any more. The damage is done. There is not much they can do with it in my opinion. Anything more they do will cost billions. Every area where the river has flowed over the bank needs dug out and replanted. The places at my shop that the oil has gotten into the woods, for a few hundred yards in some cases, there is no way for any equipment to get in there and dig it out. The rental place once tried to get a 4WD backhoe down there to stop some erosion along the woods line, about 100 yards from the river, and it buired to above the frame, dam near lost it. It is that swampy in there. You can walk through easy enough, stand for to long and water will seep up.

I went and looked at the oil booms last night after work. They are all but effective. They are about 1 or 2 miles above my area. Looks good, the media can take some pics and say hey look at this massive cleanup. Lots of trucks in there tearing up the park, semis to put the oil pumped into, etc. Looks cool. I go to my area, and look in the river from Raymond Road. Oil slick is moving along very nice.

My guess is they are capturing very little with those oil booms. And I also suspect oil went over Morrow Pond Dam a couple days ago. The river is swift, and I can float from Fort Custer to Morrow Pond in less than 4 hours.... Add another 3 or 4 from my shop. Does not take a very smart person to figure that out.

As far as volunteering, I have yet to get the call, and I did the first day. I know where there are about 2 dozen geese sitting trying to get the oil off. They were at Hit Em Here driving range along the river. They were there last night. Oil covered. Emmet Township Fire 7 Rescue truck was sitting there so i assume he was calling someone. I checked this morning, there still in the field. They must have roosted there.... and we all know geese don't typically roost in a field of grass. It is a very visable spot from th emain road, Columbia, so I know I would catch hell if I went in there tonight to try and catch and clean. I am not rich, so if nobody hears from me on the forum, you know I was arrested and need bailed out !

[raisinrat]

I ahve read many reports today online that land owner on marrow is calling BS the oil is there and is already over the dam that was over 24 hours ago. The oil spill is coming close to a EPA super fund site full of PCB,what happens when oil and a super fund full of PCB's come together. Well it changes buoyancy of the PCBs.Typically PCBs will sink to the bottom of a river or stream. The oil affects their buoyancy, Linda Schweitzer, an assistant professor of environmental chemistry atOakland University said, allowing them to float up and be dispersed again.


If you need help rounding up birds I can come over next week after get done with this dang move.

[smoke]

Well I got home last night and there was a white truck parked at the end of my street, which is where I live. Bottles in hand I knew they were checking water quality. They were from a private environmental service company out of Ohio. The two dudes were cool, and said they doubt that any oil of any significance will come down through. I'm not so sure.

They said they had orders to take samples from the areas they could find below the Allegan dam everyday until they were told to stop. So I’ll be seeing a lot of those two for quite a while. There company was working 24/7 2 - 12 hour shifts a day. Told them I'd take them up the river in the mud boat if they wanted to check a few areas inaccessible by vehicle. They also mentioned that the area near the spill had so many siphoning trucks that they did not think another could have fit in the area. So time will tell.

Smoke

[Mike L]

Here's a story advising people that are close to the spill to evacuate.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24410180/detail.html

[roughshot]

I just love how reporters give a 2 to 5 sentence update of an event, then cut an past all the past reporting into their article, Like we haven't read what is going on and need to be breifed on the event. Just give us the update and save the ink. My local paper does this all the time, recites all the past articles after they have provided a paragraph worth of update.