Michigan Oil Spill May Be Largest In History Of Midwest

(NewsCore) - Crews along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan were busy Tuesday skimming oil and placing booms to prevent further damage from what is likely the largest oil spill in the history of the Midwest.

More than 800,000 gallons of oil made its way into the river on Monday, the result of a leak from a pipeline belonging to Enbridge Energy Partners that runs crude oil between Canada and the United States.

Enbridge President Patrick Daniel said Tuesday that the company has already placed booms along the banks of the rivers and as far away as 16 miles downstream from the spill to try to contain the oil.

The pipeline ruptured Monday, spilling oil into Talmadge Creek, which feeds the Kalamazoo River near Battle Creek, Mich.

Residents of Marshall Township alerted fire officials that they smelled an unusual odor hanging over the town Monday.

Federal, state and local officials are all involved in the response. Company officials said Tuesday they have been in contact with officials at the White House.

Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have been monitoring air quality since the spill to check, primarily, for unsafe levels of benzene in the air.

So far, two homes were evacuated and approximately 30 other households have relocated due to the smell.

Enbridge said it shut down part of the pipeline when the spill was detected. It does not know how long it will take to repair the leak.