Consumers Energy detects anomaly in pipeline through Scio Township
Editor's note: The owner of the pipeline, incorrectly identified as Enbridge by the Washtenaw County Road Commission, has been corrected to be Consumers Energy in this story.
Crews will be shutting down a portion of roadway in eastern Scio Township next week to inspect an “anomaly” in a Consumers Energy pipeline.
The company discovered the problem during a routine inspection, and now must visually inspect the line.
Tubbs Road between Huron River Drive and Stein Road will be closed beginning Monday for about one week.
The company has a permit from the Washtenaw County Road Commission to dig up a portion of Tubbs Road if necessary to inspect the pipeline and make repairs.
John Posegay, permit coordinator for the road commission, said oil and gas companies critically inspect their pipelines as a part of a seven-year cycle of government reporting.
Posegay said he did not know the details of the pipeline itself, but said the inspection was likely a standard procedure.
If the inspection determines a repair is required, the pipe section will be replaced or a pipe sleeve will be welded over the portion of the pipe that needs to be reinforced.
Drivers are advised to follow a detour from Huron River Drive to North Delhi Road to Joy Road and back to Stein Road.
View Washtenaw County Road Commission work in a larger map
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
Basic Bob
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 1:53 p.m.
From the public maps, It appears to be a 42" natural gas - Vector Pipeline - built in 2000 by Enbridge and DTE. There are no oil pipelines in Scio township. Locally it connects between Jackson and Milford. Don't light a match.
Ann English
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 11:36 p.m.
If this really is a natural gas pipeline, I hope Enbridge carefully consults with Miss Dig. Tubbs road is only 1.2 miles long, and a million-dollar house on Oak Hollow Drive is easily visible from Tubbs.
Susie Q
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 6:43 p.m.
Thanks, Bob. You have offered practical, factual info.
slave2work
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.
thank you. Saved me from searching for that.
Ron Granger
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:09 p.m.
"Enbridge representatives did not return requests for comment Friday" Typical Enbridge - ignore the community whose water and environment are threatened. How is the cleaning progressing on their latest big leak? The NTSB called the company employees "keystone cops". "GRAND MARSH, Wis., July 29 (Reuters) - Canada's Enbridge Inc prepared on Sunday to replace part of a pipeline that leaked more than 1,000 barrels of oil in a Wisconsin field, shutting down a key conduit from Canada and provoking fresh ire from Washington. The spill on Friday is the latest in a series of incidents that threaten to damage the reputation of a company that launched its most ambitious expansion program ever just two months ago. It came almost two years to the day after a ruptured Enbridge line fouled part of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan." --- "Just weeks ago, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board delivered a scathing report of Enbridge's handling of the July 2010 rupture of its Line 6B near Marshall, Michigan, which led to more than 20,000 barrels of crude leaking into the Kalamazoo River. The NTSB said it found a complete breakdown of company safety measures, and that Enbridge employees performed like "Keystone Kops" trying to contain it. The rupture went undetected for 17 hours. U.S. pipeline regulators fined it $3.7 million for the spill, their largest ever penalty."
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 5:13 a.m.
i hate to say it... but this is near the huron river, and ann arbor has a crappy history of taking care of oil spills into the huron river. we just can't seem to solve them. we have one unsolved spill already....
Kai Petainen
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 5:43 a.m.
and.... if these spills are legal... then we.... as the people of ann arbor... need to know how much the UofM is allowed to dump into the Huron River. I am not accusing the UofM of dumping this in the river.... the cause is unknown... But we, as the people of Ann Arbor, need to know the answer to this question. How much (if any) and of what substance is UofM / The Hospitals allowed to dump in the Huron River? That list (if any dumping exists) must be made public. Keep in mind that the UofM has 80 some outfalls that flow into the Huron River and they have some autonomy and jurisdiction over those (otherwise the DNR and the EPA would have investigated). From my understanding... certain things are more illegal. Hypothetically speaking, if phosphoric acid was dumped into the river, then that could have had serious consequences. Using the fees/charges from that, the city could have pursued whomever dumped it and they could have saved some of the fire firefighters and policemen. But instead the city fires our public safety. Supposedly, even though the cause is unknown... this was blamed on a 'midnight dumper' (that's what the mayor told me)... and so... then this is an illegal case of dumping and it is criminal. Too bad we don't have a university or a city police force that will actually enforce it and find out who did it. Ann Arbor is an environmentalist town in marketing... but not in action. The city had a spill and did nothing about it.
Kai Petainen
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 5:41 a.m.
"In fact it is legal to spill some stuff in the river. Much depends on which stuff and how much of it." When I asked UofM as to how it got in the river, they didn't know even though it would run through their pipes. i was told that the cause was unknown. but.... if it was a type of spill that is legal... then.... and.... someone knew about it... then i was lied to. if it was a permitted spill, then i was not told that. if it was an accident, then i did not see an accident report. since i saw no permit for the spill, nor an accident report, the 3rd reason... it's criminal. (U of M Police told me that there is a 4th option for this stuff -- 'unknown'). so the UofM police don't know if it was a permit spill, an accident spill, or criminal. so what guarantee do i have, that this won't happen again?
Epengar
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 3:39 a.m.
Ok, maybe it wasn't as small as I thought, I didn't know that the Fire Department had responded, and as I wrote earlier, I wasn't sure I recalled correctly. However, oil can spread across water as an extremely thin film sometimes as thin as a single molecule. So it might not take a lot of oil to spread a sheen down the river from the Arb to Geddes Dam. Nonetheless, it raises the question, what are the laws and regulations that apply to spilling a toxic chemical into a public waterway? I'm pretty sure the relevant government authority is the state Department of Environmental Quality. I just looked at their website, and the regulations regarding release of chemicals looks like a pretty nasty tangle. I think it would make more sense to try to contact someone at the DEQ and find out what the general parameters are. "it's not enbridge, but it is a criminal spill nonetheless. (unless it is legal to spill stuff in the river)" In fact it is legal to spill some stuff in the river. Much depends on which stuff and how much of it. I'm not saying that this spill necessarily was legal, just that, strange and wrong as it may seem, it might not have violated laws. I don't know. If I was concerned about this, I'd call the DEQ and ask them some specific hypothetical questions.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 8:34 p.m.
it's not enbridge, but it is a criminal spill nonetheless. (unless it is legal to spill stuff in the river) one of the 1st people to call it in... said it was 20 feet.. that's when it started. but after that it spread and it would keep flowing into the river. as it flowed into the river, it became much larger than 20 feet. the characterization that the spill was just 20 feet long is false. i had AAFD fire personnel on the bridge overlooking the huron river near huron towers/arb... who saw that it covered the river and how it ran for hours. here's another photo. http://tinyurl.com/d5wxxsb it shows the oil covering the width of the river, and it would flow past that spot for at least 2 hours (then it got dark outside) from my perspective, i was able to see that it covered a huge section of river. i see a section of river that covers about 2000 - 2500 feet and that was covered. this grew and became much bigger than 20 feet. i witnessed it. the excuse.. 'it wasn't as big as enbridge' is a lousy excuse. this may not have been as big as that, but it was significant.
tdw
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
Kai....I did not say a storm caused it I said it looked like the spill was gone the next day AFTER a rain,there's even a pic.It also said the spill was about 20 ft long which is not much considering how thin oil on top of water is.Sorry, this was not the Exxon Valdez or BP in the gulf.Since this seems to be something you have been talking about since it happened, could you tell me what actual damage it did ? I hate to tell you this but the Huron is not some pristine wilderness river.Things have and will happen and the government is not going to spend millions on something so insignificant.Sorry but you need to get over it, you are beating a dead horse
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:08 p.m.
the day after the spill.... i went to gallup park.... whatever was in that spill.... be it oil/phosphoric acid... would have been dumped into gallup park. i saw geese swimming into the oil that morning. that week... i would still smell oil in the river.... and people were canoeing from argo livery. argo livery knew of the spill, but they still gave canoes and people were not being told about it. i remember... sitting on the side of the river... smelling the oil... and i watched a few dogs lapping up the river... and small kids playing in it.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:03 p.m.
also... you are incorrect... the spill was not contained. that night a storm would come through... and it wiped out the booms. both booms failed. but the spill itself was not caused by a rain storm. it came on a clear day.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
ann arbor... supposedly an environmental town... has an unsolved, criminal spill that the DNR, the city police, the EPA, the state police.... did not investigate.
tdw
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 6:19 p.m.
Kai...so what exactly are you trying to prove with the report ? looks like a standard report that covered 3 hours.And the spill was gone the next day after a rain and that is was contained.Am I missing something ?
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:16 p.m.
oops. here http://tinyurl.com/8egruus If you have any info on the spill, please contact the state police.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:15 p.m.
You can read it straight from the AAFD report http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/AAFD_incident_report_on_spill.pdf
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:04 p.m.
"of very small volume" Do you know that as a fact? I would strongly disagree with you. They don't know how much spilled, and a spill that covers a river, yet people don't know how much spilled, is not a small spill. Were you there? Did you see it? Do you have information about it? I saw it, I could smell it. So you believe a spill that covers the Huron River from the UofM hospitals to Gallup Park.... that runs for hours... that (according to the AAFD report) has 88% concentration of phosphoric acid and petroleum.... and involves 1 Rescue Unit, 2 Trucks, 2 Engines, 1 Chief Officer Car, 2 Hazmat Units.... for many hours... is small? fascinating.
Brad
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:40 p.m.
We have one unsolved spill that at least three people still care about.
tdw
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 11:11 a.m.
Epengar....It seems to be a obsession
Epengar
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 6:28 a.m.
Kai, you keep making references to your one mystery spill, of very small volume if I recall correctly. Why do you think that one event is typical?
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 5:23 a.m.
it's rather sad to say... but ann arbor is treated differently than other places. if we had another spill, i doubt the DNR and the EPA would show up. they didn't come the first time and i doubt they'll come the 2nd time.
rm1
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:12 a.m.
It seems that the high dudgeon and alarm here is getting ahead of the facts, of which we don't have many, since AA.com hasn't put much effort into learning and reporting the facts. Is this an oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids pipeline? AA.com doesn't tell us, and a quick look at Enbridge's website shows it has all three. Assuming it's oil, as all here seemsto assume, why isn't the fact that Enbridge itself discovered and announced the anomaly a somewhat reassuring fact? They no doubt intend to fix it before it is a leak or spill, like the catastrophe in the Kalamazoo river -- we can surely count on their self-interest to compel them to do that if it's at all possible, and there's no suggestion in anything we know that it's not possible. And the hundreds of millions Enbridge has had to spend in cleanup of that spill gives them lots of incentive to avoid a spill here. Enbridge needs to be watched closely -- K'zoo showed that in spades -- but raging alarm seems premature.
dading dont delete me bro
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:30 a.m.
better fill up the gas tank now...
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:25 a.m.
Pipeline leaks are a serious matter: I'm glad to see this is being addressed. Wish that the city of Ann Arbor would take the lead in addressing the leakage in their water distribution pipeline: the average city has 1000s of leaks and loses 1000s of gallons of water due to the lag in pipeline maintenance. Lag: far greater than 7 years, often in the range of 50 or 100 years.
cibachrome
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:19 a.m.
How does anyone know for sure its the pipeline's fault? Perhaps an enviro-extremist caused a puncture using commonly available ammunition and an intent to cause havoc for the sake of blaming the company. Let's wait for the inspection, direct observation and a cause and a 'solution', not this politically correct blame game that's being played. Such immature thinkers.,,,
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 8:37 p.m.
sh1... according to the article..... "Investigators are treating the explosions as acts of vandalism, not terrorism, Shields said. "Under the Criminal Code, it would be characterized as mischief, which is an intentional vandalism. We don't want to characterize this as terrorism. They were very isolated locations and there would seem there was no intent to hurt people," he said. But David Harris, a security consultant and former strategist with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told CBC News the second explosion shows it's time to start looking at a political motive and to do more to protect Canada's critical infrastructure"
sh1
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:07 p.m.
Canadian authorities never blamed "enviro-extremists" for those incidents, so to bring them up here seems a stretch.
Townie
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:11 p.m.
Kai - You're right ! What a huge threat Canada and its terrorists are. I never knew. We need to invade and put in American style 'democracy'. The Koch Brothers can take over the Canadian oil pipelines (and then the new government). Good plan, right?
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:21 p.m.
another article... from July 2012 http://tinyurl.com/8f4data "Canada's pipelines vulnerable to sabotage, expert says" "A recently declassified RCMP intelligence report cites growing radicalism among eco-activists as a threat to energy infrastructure." "Unlike other countries, Canada uses single trunk pipelines; if one segment is destroyed, the internal flow is disrupted and can't be rerouted." "Another challenge is Canada's own legal system. Foreign planes fly over Canadian refineries, for example. But the civil aviation legislation prevents oil companies from doing anything to stop this."
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:12 p.m.
Actually... in Canada sabotage has occurred... you don't hear about this in the American news. Is it correct to assume that sabotage has never happened in the USA? http://tinyurl.com/9hy5z25 "Canada's pipeline industry was on high alert Thursday after two acts of sabotage in less than a week targeted EnCana sour-gas pipelines about 50 kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek, B.C., near the Alberta border." "In both incidents, explosives were used. No one was injured in either blast, but they raised fears that more could be coming. "We believe someone or a group of people have set two deliberate explosions that were intended to rupture and blow up a natural-gas pipeline," RCMP spokesman Sgt. Tim Shields said Thursday."
Epengar
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 6:26 a.m.
The pipeline is *underground*, so you suggestion is even more ridiculous. The "enviro-extremists" don't have to sabotage pipelines to have a reason to blame the company. This company allowed a leak in a pipe to spill a MILLION GALLONS of tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River just two years ago. They are still trying (and failing) to clean that up.
sh1
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 3:20 a.m.
Do you have evidence of that EVER happening in the history of the world?!?! Occam's razor seems a better way to go.
PineyWoodsGuy
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:08 a.m.
This is shocking news folks! The deteriorating pipeline crosses the Huron River, upstream from Barton Pond. Ann Arbor drinking water is taken out of Barton Pond. All Washtenaw County residents should be Very Concerned about what the oil companies are doing to our water resources, including the water table for those that rely upon their well!
jackdaniels
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:15 p.m.
Your all a bunch a ann arbor cooks. Simmer down and get your panties out of a bunch.
Arboriginal
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:33 p.m.
Holy Moley Beth! That sounds serious!
Brad
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:34 p.m.
If that comment isn't off topic I don't know what would be. I can't imagine a topic that it would apply to, actually.
Beth Mayhand
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:21 a.m.
We Should be more worried about what the Lord has promised to do, not only to our drinking water, but the world's. A pipe leaking oil into our system will be the least of our problems during the 3 & 1/2 years of worldwide drought that is promised in Revelation Chapter 11. We need to wake up folks...............we have been warned. God is going to destroy this entire world and nothing we do will stop this. Plagues, famine, drought, war are all promised in Revelation 11 and 16. The Lord ain't coming to bring peace and rapture, but His wrath and vengeance onto mankind. What will all the religious leaders, scholars and politicians do? Nothing!
shrewdrealist
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 1:39 a.m.
Can you post a map of the entire pipeline throughout the county? It's important to know exactly where it is and where it's going.
Kyle Mattson
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 1:04 a.m.
Glad to help.
shrewdrealist
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 3:25 p.m.
Thanks for the info Kyle.
Kyle Mattson
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:54 a.m.
Shrew- Here's a link to the PHMSA public mapping system where you can search all major lines by state and county: https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer/
Pat
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 1:29 a.m.
Great. I better fill my gas tanks next week --gas may go up to $5/gallon due to this detected 'anomaly'.
Basic Bob
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 11:10 p.m.
@Bacon, Enbridge filed the permit, so it must be the Vector Pipeline which they co-own with DTE.
Bacon Bits
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:23 p.m.
Actually I'm wrong. Rod is right, this is a natural gas line.Although according to the PHMSA maps, this is owned by consumers energy. The only Enbridge pipeline in the county is crude oil. But based on the map and the street in question, this is natural gas.
Bacon Bits
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.
Rod: according to PHMSA this Enbridge pipeline is a crude oil pipeline. And when the Enbridge crude pipeline in Kalamazoo was leaking (and subsequently was closed for repair), gas prices indeed did spike quite a bit throughout Michigan.
Rod Johnson
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:35 p.m.
This is a natural gas pipeline, not gasoline gas. Something this small wouldn't have an effect on the price of gas anyway. But good job on the "it's all about me" front.
justcurious
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 1:12 a.m.
That's a beautiful stretch of road, or was before all of the development. Hopefully no environmental damage will or has occurred. It's all downhill to the river below.
justcurious
Sun, Sep 9, 2012 : 12:07 a.m.
aajeff, you just described the development to a "t". I remember when the rich folks homes weren't there...long before you were born probably.
aajeff
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 10:37 a.m.
It's always been a beautiful road and still is. Where is "all the development" you are talking about? You ever been on Tubbs Rd? Doesn't sound like it. There are 10 or 12 homes on the two mile stretch of Tubbs Rd. The most recent built 13 years ago and the oldest built in 1854. Two side streets have 8 homes on them but they aren't on Tubbs Rd.
Ann English
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:19 a.m.
If part of the road does need to be dug up to reach the pipeline, there's a good chance it's right next to the largest-trunk tree standing right next to the road, south of Oakmore Court. I know that Tubbs Road is a natural beauty road, but it would be very easy for a motorist to hit this tree, so close to the road and strong roots underground. Sometimes trees on private land have to be cut down due to their roots making holes in household wells.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 5:09 a.m.
hmm... is the tree close to the pipe?