The Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline runs from Superior Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario. Line 5 is a 30 inch diameter crude oil pipeline that is split into two 20 inch diameter pipelines at the North Straits Pump Station near St. Ignace. The two 20 inch diameter pipelines proceed under the Straits of Mackinac about 1,000 feet apart reaching depths of 200 feet before reemerging in the lower peninsula. The pipeline was commissioned in 1953 and has been in service for over 62 years. As of December 2013, Enbridge increased the capacity of Line 5 to pump 540,000 barrels of crude oil per day. This is 50,000 barrels of oil more per day than its previous capacity of 490,000 barrels of oil per day. RMP has created an interactive “Line 5” Google Map that is embedded at the very bottom of this post if you want to skip right to the map or click here.
Enbridge Line 5 has recently been receiving more attention than it has in the past because the aging pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac present a major regional economic risk and an environmental risk to the Great Lakes freshwater system. Line 5 puts the Great Lakes freshwater system at risk of a cleanup that could potentially surpass the one billion dollar mark. Economic losses could also occur in Continue reading “Enbridge Line 5 Crude Oil Leak – North Straits Pump Station Near Lake Michigan Shoreline”
