Oil spill cleanup crews on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan have had to stop working due to the onset of colder weather.
The crews are attempting to clear approximately 840,000 gallons of oil that spilled into the river from the Enbridge pipeline in July 2010. The company told WOOD News that submerged oil recovery crews have wrapped up work for the rest of the year.
One of the issues with the cleanup is that most of the oil was heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the river and mix with the sediment. Many of Impact Absorbents’ top products, such as XBORB Oil Select Sock and FiberDuck Oil Booms, can help mitigate the impact of major oil spills.
Enbridge spokesman Jason Manshum told the news agency that although the cleanup of the water has been stalled, crews are committed to cleaning up the river banks through the winter.
“We will continue to work under the supervision of the DEQ and the EPA. The EPA has given us a new directive and we are working to determine what needs to be done in 2012 to meet their deadlines,” Manshum noted.
Cleanup of the river itself is expected to resume in the spring.
