Official: Ruptured oil pipeline that spewed oil into S. Michigan river shows lengthwise rip

Ruptured Mich. oil pipeline shows lengthwise rip

DETROIT — Officials say a ruptured section of pipeline that spewed oil into a southern Michigan river had a lengthwise rip that likely is less than five feet long.

The Environmental Protection Agency and pipeline company Enbridge Inc. said Saturday the section was removed a day earlier in Calhoun County and will be shipped to a National Transportation Safety Board lab in Washington, D.C.

Enbridge Executive Vice President Steve Wuori (WUHR’-ee) says officials on the scene can’t tell from looking at the pipeline what led to the failure.

Enbridge reported the spill July 26. The EPA says more than 1 million gallons of oil have flowed into the Kalamazoo River and other waterways. The company estimates the total at 820,000 gallons.

The pipeline runs between Griffith, Ind., and Sarnia, Ontario.