DETROIT – Governor Jennifer Granholm declared a state of disaster on Tuesday for an area along the Kalamazoo River in south-central Michigan where an oil pipeline leaked 19,500 barrels of oil.
The spill, reported on Monday morning by Houston-based pipeline operator Enbridge Energy Partners, came in a 30-inch, 190,000 barrels per day line transporting crude oil from Griffith, Indiana, to Sarnia, Ontario.
The company, a unit of Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, said the cause of the spill was still being investigated and it was co-operating with authorities on the investigation and cleanup efforts.
There were no injuries reported but two homes in the area were evaculated on Monday, authorities said.
Oil spilled into Talmadge Creek, which flows northwest into the Kalamazoo River. Emergency response crews began working on Monday along the creek and river to contain the oil.
A temporary dike and flume arrangement was in place near the origin of the leak, blocking oil from reaching the tributary creek, the pipeline operator said on Tuesday.
"Crews worked through the night on containment, including the use of booms, oil skimmers and vacuum trucks," said Stephen J. Wuori, Executive Vice President of Enbridge Inc. .
The pipeline is part of Enbridge’s Lakehead system in the U.S., which connects to other Enbridge pipelines in Canada.
Volunteers on Tuesday worked to clean Canadian geese and other birds soaked in oil from the spill.
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