More groundwater released by Line 3 pipeline aquifer ruptures: regulators
Global News
Damage to public groundwater resources in Minnesota from missteps during construction of the Line 3 pipeline is more severe than previously known, environmental regulators said.
The damage to public groundwater resources in Minnesota from missteps during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline is more severe than previously known, state environmental regulators said.
Enbridge crews ruptured three groundwater aquifers while building the 550-kilometre pipeline across northern Minnesota last year and the company faces sanctions as a result, the state Department of Natural Resources said.
“The DNR continues to work on a comprehensive enforcement resolution, with the goal of addressing restoration, mitigation and additional penalties associated with the three breach locations,” the agency said in a statement Monday after completing its investigation into the aquifer breaches.
The DNR has not specified the penalties being considered.
The punctures led to nearly 300 million gallons of groundwater flowing to the surface, and the most serious breach occurred near the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in St. Louis County. That rupture has discharged more than 200 million gallons so far and the groundwater continues to flow, the Star Tribune reported.
The first breach occurred during the winter of 2021 at a major pipeline junction near Clearbrook, although regulators did not learn about it for several months. About 50 million gallons of groundwater flowed from that rupture, endangering a rare wetland area nearby. State regulators ordered Enbridge to pay $3.3 million and fix the damage.
READ MORE: Enbridge fined $3M for breach of Minnesota environmental laws during Line 3 construction
The DNR learned about a second breach Aug. 5. The breach occurred a few days earlier near LaSalle Creek in Hubbard County and discharged an estimated 9.8 million gallons of groundwater. That flow also has been stopped, the DNR said.
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