Wisconsin Enbridge natural gas pipeline rupture, haze covers site

IRON COUNTY, Wis. – A truck collided with a pipe at a northern Wisconsin natural gas pipeline excavation site Tuesday, spilling liquids and covering the site in a haze as crews responded.

Truck hits pipeline

What we know:

Enbridge, the Canada-based energy company that operates the pipeline, said a parked, unoccupied semi-truck rolled into an open excavation site for the Line 5 valve project in Iron County. It happened at around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, Aug. 25.

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Natural gas liquids started releasing onto the site after the impact, Enbridge said. The section of pipe was isolated, and emergency crews responded to the site. FOX6 News obtained viewer video that showed a haze spilling over the scene. 

No one was hurt, but Enbridge said nearby homes in the rural area were evacuated as a precaution. 

The Iron County Sheriff’s Office said natural gas liquids, like propane and butane, are separated from raw natural gas. They are then used as fuel and in the production of things like plastics, electronics and fertilizers.

What we don’t know:

It’s not clear how a parked, unoccupied vehicle rolled into the site, based on Enbridge’s information. 

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The company did not provide an estimate of how much natural gas liquid leaked, what cleanup operations will entail or what the short- and long-term impacts could be.

The sheriff’s office said the area of Sitan Road in the Town of Saxon remains closed until further notice as of Tuesday afternoon, and a temporary no-fly zone was established.

What is Enbridge Line 5?

The backstory:

According to Enbridge, the Line 5 pipeline was originally built in 1953. It originates in Superior, Wisconsin and runs 645 miles – including under the Straits of Mackinac – to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

The pipeline moves up to 540,000 barrels of light crude oil, light synthetic crude and natural gas liquids per day. Those natural gas liquids, the company said, get refined into propane.

Criticism of pipeline project

The other side:

Environmental groups have been critical of the Line 5 project in the past. 

In May, amid a lawsuit that sought to halt construction of a new pipeline segment in northern Wisconsin, Sierra Club Wisconsin’s director called Line 5 “a threat to our water, Tribal sovereignty, and our climate.”