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Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration2010 Enbridge Oil Spill in Michigan
HistoryA rupture in a 30-inch oil pipeline near Marshall, Michigan, released over 840,000 gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek, which flows into the Kalamazoo River. Enbridge Energy reported the spill in July 2010. Heavy rains caused Talmadge Creek to overtop its banks and carry oil 38 miles downstream to the Kalamazoo River, into adjacent floodplains.
Oil from the rupture, along with spill response activities, harmed fish, wildlife and other natural areas in and around Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. These public natural resources are under the jurisdiction of the United States, the State of Michigan, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribe, and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of the Pottawatomi Tribe. Government and tribal agencies are using the Natural Resource and Damage Assessment process to document the amount of harm caused by the spill and will seek restitution from the responsible party (Enbridge Energy) to restore natural resources harmed by the spill.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and RestorationNatural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) is the process used by federal, state and tribal governments to jointly seek compensation for natural resources injured or destroyed when areas are contaminated with oil or other hazardous substances. In the NRDAR process, government and tribal entities are called "trustees." Compensation sought through the process is then used by the trustees to restore fish, wildlife, and their habitat to pre-spill conditions, and to compensate the public for the lost use and enjoyment of those natural resources. Compensation is sought from the party responsible for the damage, in this case, Enbridge Energy.
TrusteesFor the Michigan Enbridge Oil Spill, the trustees include the U.S. Department of Interior (represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Attorney General, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi.
Damage AssessmentWithin days of the spill, trustees began collecting data to understand the spill’s impact on natural resources and recreational use in and near the creek and river. Since the spill, the Trustees have gathered information on water, fish, mussels, other invertebrates such as insects and crustaceans, vegetation, recovery and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife, recreational closures, as well as data collected by response agencies. Based on information collected and reviewed by trustees during these efforts, and in accordance with state regulations and the Oil Pollution Act and NRDA, the trustees decided to conduct restoration planning to assess damages and restore those resources.
Collection and review of data will continue as trustees work to identify and quantify the spill’s impacts. The trustees will also begin restoration planning, identifying projects that benefit the same or similar resources injured by the spill. The public will have an opportunity for review and comment upon the draft assessment and restoration plan.
Reports and Additional ResourcesTrustee reports for the Enbridge Line 6B Natural Resource Damage Assessment
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