Is there still oil in the Kalamazoo River?
“The Environmental Protection Agency says most of the oil has been removed from the creek and the river. But there’s still oil at the bottom of the Kalamazoo River.
Where was the Kalamazoo River oil spill?
In July 2010, a massive oil spill was discovered in Talmadge Creek, a small tributary to the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Mich. It was the result of a ruptured pipeline managed by Enbridge Energy Partners, LLC.

How much oil was spilled in Kalamazoo Michigan?
one million gallons
In 2010, a tar sands pipeline owned and operated by Enbridge, Inc, ruptured near Marshall, Michigan, spilling over one million gallons of oil into a tributary of the Kalamazoo River.
How long did the Kalamazoo oil spill last?
Thirty-five miles (56 km) of the Kalamazoo River were closed for clean-up until June 2012, when portions of the river were re-opened….
Kalamazoo River oil spill | |
---|---|
Volume | 877,000 to 1,000,000 US gal (3,320 to 3,790 m3) |
Shoreline impacted | approx. 25 mi (40 km) |
Is there oil under the Great Lakes?
Oil and Gas Production in the Great Lakes. No offshore oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes has occurred in U.S. waters. Several states have attempted to drill onshore for oil and gas under the Great Lakes, but operating wells exist only in Michigan.

Is the Kalamazoo River polluted?
The Kalamazoo is polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from paper recycling mills. Used for ink removal, the chemicals were discharged into the river from the 1950s through the mid-1970s. They also seeped into groundwater and surface waters from landfills where mill waste was dumped.
What caused the 2010 oil spill in the Kalamazoo River?
Monday, July 26, 2010 The release, estimated by Enbridge at 843,000 gallons, entered Talmadge Creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River, a Lake Michigan tributary. Heavy rains caused the river to overtop existing dams and carried oil at least 35 miles downstream on the Kalamazoo River.
What caused the oil spill in Kalamazoo?
There were the months following the July 25, 2010 spill, when the river ran black after Enbridge’s Line 6B pipeline ruptured in a wetland near Marshall, sending more than 840,000 gallons of crude oil spewing into Talmadge Creek and nearly 40 miles down the Kalamazoo.
Is there any fracking in Michigan?
But fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is occurring in northern Michigan and at a great rate. Fracking has been employed in Michigan since the late 1980s throughout the northern lower peninsula’s Atrim shale and Collingwood/Utica shale, which contain vast sources of natural gas.
Can you swim in the Kalamazoo River?
“Cause we really want people to understand that the water isn’t dangerous,” she says. “People can still swim in the water, they can still paddle.” Once the design is done, Bruneau says the state hopes to double or triple the number of fish advisory signs along the Kalamazoo River.
How clean is the Kalamazoo River?
The agreement named 43 major rivers and harbors as “Areas of Concern” (AOC) throughout the Great Lakes because of serious water quality concerns. The Kalamazoo River was among the 43 AOCs because of the 80-mile stretch of river that has high levels of PCBs at the bottom and within the streambanks.