Enbridge to test 60-year-old pipeline in Washtenaw County Wednesday
Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday with information from the Wolverine Pipe Line Company.
Enbridge Pipelines Toledo Inc. will be hydraulically testing a pipeline it is leasing in Washtenaw County on Wednesday before it is put into operational use April 1.
The pipeline will be used to transport crude oil directly to Marathon Petroleum Corporation's Detroit refinery as a part of the $190 million Line 79 expansion project -- a capability Enbridge previously did not have.
Map of the Line 79 project.
Courtesy of Enbridge
The pipeline runs east to west from Fletcher and Ellsworth roads in Freedom Township, across Lodi, Pittsfield and Ypsilanti townships to Van Buren Township in Romulus. The line passes through a residential area just south of the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport in Pittsfield Township.
Enbridge has leased the pipeline and intends to use it to transport crude oil that will be flowing through the new Line 79 pipeline Enbridge is building in northwestern Washtenaw County, said Jason Manshum, spokesman for Enbridge.
As a safety precaution, Enbridge is testing the new line before running crude oil through it by running water through the line at a higher pressure.
“When we start using a leased line, we’ll always take this step of hydrotesting,” Manshum said, noting the procedure checks both the safety and integrity of the line.
It will be tested Wednesday during daylight hours, using a non-toxic water mixture that will be dyed fluorescent yellow and will be pushed through the pipe at a pressure of 1,500 psi. That's higher than the pressure at which crude oil would flow through the line at about 1,000 psi. Signs will be placed along the line during the test asking people to stay a minimum of 100 feet from the testing area, Manshum said.
Residents within 100 to 110 feet of the pipeline were notified of the test in advance, and were given the option of staying in a hotel for two nights during the test at Enbridge’s expense. Enbridge gave residents who opted to stay in a hotel a food allowance, and covered boarding costs for pets.
About 30 percent of the residents living within 100 feet of the pipeline opted to stay in a hotel during the test, Manshum.
The primary reason to ask people living nearby to temporarily relocate is because of the inconvenience factor, Manshum said.
“There will be added vehicle traffic,” Manshum said. “We may have crews there before sunrise in the right-of-way area, and after sunset.”
Crews will be visually inspecting the pipeline during the test. The right-of-way easement along the Wolverine pipeline is about 50 feet on both sides, Manshum said.
Construction of Line 79 is almost complete. It runs adjacent and parallel to Enbridge’s Line 17, which takes crude oil from the cross-country Line 6B at the Stockbridge junction and transports it south to Toledo.
Line 6B gets its oil from the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. It also carries some oil from North Dakota.
The increased capacity Line 79 will provide means more oil will be flowing from Line 6B through Washtenaw County to the refineries in Toledo and Detroit.
The Wolverine pipeline was last used in June of 2012, according to a spokesman for the company. The Line 79 project is slated to be operation April 1.
In order to finish the project on time, Enbridge agreed to a $1.3 million contract with the Washtenaw County Road Commission to fix roads the company damaged during construction.
If leaks are observed during the testing period, the Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety asks that people call the emergency line at (800) 858-5253.
For questions regarding Enbridge's testing of the Wolverine line, call 1-855-788-7806.
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
dotdash
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 3:34 p.m.
Wait a sec. They are visually inspecting for florescent water that should *rise* from a buried pipeline? How shallow is this pipe that the water (even under pressure) should spout through the earth surrounding the pipe and reach the surface? Is this really state-of-the-art testing?
Dave
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 7:39 p.m.
Yeah, what if the leak doesn't surface and it goes down?
Amy Biolchini
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 5:30 p.m.
They are visually inspecting the ground above the pipeline to see if there are any issues. It's dyed that color so that it's easy to determine if there's a leak in the line, according to the company.
Dave
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 4:31 p.m.
Drive down Waterways Drive and you'll see a huge elevated piece of land on the south side of the road behind the houses. The pipe is running through the elevated part. I guess if it is a small leak, you'll know in a few years. I feel bad for all of the people who get their water from wells around here.
Amy Biolchini
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 2:08 p.m.
For those that are interested, there's a National Pipeline Mapping System online through the U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/ Click on "NPMS Public Map Viewer" -- you can see all pipelines in the county, including this Wolverine pipeline that Enbridge is leasing even though it's not currently in use. There are quite a few lines running through Washtenaw County that I never knew were there.
CobraII
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 5:28 a.m.
I never got an invite to stay at a hotel.
leaguebus
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 5:37 a.m.
You don't get the invite until your basement fills up with a colored liquid.
An Arborigine
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 3:35 a.m.
If you see liquids leaking, prepare for a massive explosion in your future
trantula2019
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 3:26 a.m.
the pipe is more then likely not aboveground except at valves and stations. If you want to know if there is buried pipeline around your house, just simply take a drive around and look for signs in the ground that say buried pipeline. Those signs are usually at the edge of the road...most of the pipes also have a casing under heavy travelled roads and R.R.s. They probably just have to worry about the corrosion on the pipes.
dotdash
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 2:44 a.m.
I guess if you can visually inspect it, it means the pipeline is above ground? Makes a nice image: florescent yellow goop shooting out in all directions. If anyone sees any of this florescent -- um, excretion -- please post.
Amy Biolchini
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
It's a buried pipeline. The visual inspection is of the ground and in the right-of-way above the line.
harpua
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 12:42 a.m.
60 year old pipeline and enbridge. what could go wrong?
Dave
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.
60 years old. What did it used to move? 60 years old...you know the saying...they don't make 'em like they used to. I wonder if the freight trains from the Ann Arbor RR are carrying heavier loads than the last time this pipe was used?
Basic Bob
Tue, Mar 19, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.
I wonder how many of those people in Travis Pointe, Stonebrige, etc. knew they had an oil pipeline running near their expensive houses. That's potentially worse than an occasional stray Cessna or the risk of fracking.
timjbd
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 : 11:14 a.m.
We sold my mother's house in Stonebridge in 2008. We never had any indication there was a pipeline this close. The builders never mentioned it although they had to have known (Bayberry/Harris), neighbors never mentioned it, nobody at the golf course ever mentioned it. You can see where it passes Prairie Dunes Dr. Our house was on Prairie Dunes Ct so about 800 feet away.